Representatives from Tata Shotton join fellow steelworkers from across Europe in a march through Brussels

Representatives from Unite, the Union at Tata Shotton are joining thousands of fellow steelworkers from across Europe to march through Brussels.

The European action day for safe and secure jobs in the steel industry, comes against a backdrop of continuing uncertainty for Tata steelworkers in the UK while the wider industry in Britain and Europe battles to survive in the face of the dumping of cheap Chinese steel.

Unite, which is Britain’s largest manufacturing union, is calling on the UK government to support European action to tackle the dumping of under-priced steel and support the UK steel industry by securing tariff free access to the single market in Brexit negotiations.

Commenting Unite national officer Harish Patel said: “Unite members from Tata Steel and British Steel in Scunthorpe will be marching shoulder to shoulder with their European counterparts to demand action against the dumping of cheap Chinese steel.

“With the UK steel industry in continued turmoil and the added uncertainty of Brexit in the mix it is vital that the UK government supports action to halt the flood of cheap Chinese steel and secures tariff-free access to the single market in Brexit negotiations.

A failure to do so will leave a key foundation industry of our economy hanging by a thread.”

A Shotton Unite The Union Spokesperson said:

“Shotton is recognised as a world leader in its trading markets ,the workforce prides itself on delivering quality, we strive to succeed and feel its important to recognise that both Businesses at Shotton Site remain profitable and viable.

However the ongoing Steel dumping and level playing field issues we as a wider sector face are impacting on our ability to retain skilled workers, is driving moral down to an all time low and as expected the workforce at Shotton along with other downstream plants are frustrated that the press focus the UK Steel Industry Crisis on one plant in South Wales.”

The workforce at Shotton demands the UK government takes action to support not only Shotton but all the Steel plants that are still exposed to an uncertain future.”

Marching on Brussels against cheap Chinese steel dumping! #SaveOurSteel #UniteTheUnion pic.twitter.com/aLERJ591FT

— Shotton Steel (@UniteShotton) November 9, 2016