Has steel slipped off the agenda? Local politicians write to Secretary of State demanding answers.

A group of local politicians wrote a letter to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark, and the Prime Minister, Theresa May, on behalf of local steelworkers.

The letter was from Alyn & Deeside MP Mark Tami, Alyn and Deeside AM Carl Sargeant, Delyn MP David Hanson, Delyn AM Hannah Blythyn, City of Chester MP Chris Matheson, Ellesmere Port and Neston MP Justin Madders and Wirral South MP Allison McGovern.

The local politicians are concerned that steel has fallen from the Government’s agenda and therefore asked where the steel industry fits into the PM’s industrial strategy.

The letter also stressed the importance of resolving the issues with the pension fund as a number of workers and pensioners remain uncertain at how they are going to manage.

Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami MP said;

“There wasn’t any reference to steel when Mrs May announced her industrial strategy this week, this coupled with steel not being on the agenda on the PM’s recent visit to India shows how far down the Government’s agenda steel is.

“The workers in Shotton are rightfully concerned as uncertainly still surrounds the industry as a whole and in reality little has changed for the positive.

“We as their local politicians share their concerns and that is why we have written to the Secretary of State demanding Government secures the thousands of jobs in the country that rely on the steel industry.”

Unite the Union Steel Industry Managers Association took issue with the Prime Minister’s pledge to create a ‘modern Industrial Strategy which this government will deliver hand-in-hand with business’, and they welcomed the politicians’ input. The UNITE SIMA Branch Representative, Anthony Simpson, had this to say;

“The Multi-Union at Shotton would like to thank all the political representatives that supported this initiative to demonstrate support for the workforce at Shotton Steelworks.

“It has been evident that the UK government has a legacy of mismanagement with respect to manufacturing and this has been clearly highlighted in their lacklustre approach to a growing crisis within the Steel Industry.

“Recently the Prime Minister included ‘Industrial Strategy’ within the Secretary Of State’s role, yet we in the foundation manufacturing industry, ‘Steel’, have yet to witness anything more than warm words.

“It is about time the Government do something about the issues regarding the crippling energy & environmental costs, which they have now acknowledged, and also recognise that the steel industry isn’t just Port Talbot and other plants deserve to be recognised.

“Logically to create this ‘modern Industrial Strategy’ the Secretary of State & the PM need to look at the foundations of manufacturing which are built on the entire UK Steel Industry & its supply chains.”