MSPs Pledge To Work Together To Save Steel Industry
Politicians have vowed to work together to save Scotland's steel industry in a parliamentary debate as dozens of workers from closure-threatened plants watched.
Steel firm Tata announced the mothballing of its operations at Lanarkshire sites Dalzell in Motherwell and Clydebridge in Cambuslang last month with the loss of 270 jobs.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon promised to do everything in her power to secure the future of the industry and set up a taskforce with the priority of finding a new commercial operator for the two plants and support workers facing redundancy.
The group, which has already met, is comprised of representatives from Tata, South and North Lanarkshire councils, trade unions, Scottish Enterprise, elected representatives and industry bodies.
Workers from the Dalzell site unveiled a Save Our Steel banner outside the plant today before boarding a bus for Holyrood to hear MSPs discuss the industry n Scotland.
Local Labour MSP John Pentland put forward a motion asking that the parliament notes with great concern he announcement of job losses at the Dalzell and Clydebridge steel plants and the detrimental impact that this would have on the workforce, their families, their communities and the local economies''.
Speaking before boarding the bus, Derek Fearon, Community union representative, said: We are trying to raise awareness of the campaign, and hopefully through this then Tata will become a responsible seller.
The main aim of the taskforce, the priority of it, is for the two plants to emain open.
The mood is upbeat, the guys are still positive that everything can be done for the two plants to be saved.''
Mr Pentland, a former welder in the steel industry, led the parliamentary debate.
He said: There is no doubt that our steel workers at Dalzell and Clydebridge are at the sharp end of unfair competition, where Chinese steel production pays less heed to working conditions, health and safety, and quality.
I believe Scottish steel can have a future, and we must consider all the options to achieve that.
We need to make sure the Scottish Government does what is needed to save our steel. We need a strategy to get work for the industry, with more work provided through procurement. The government's taskforce can't be just a talking shop - it must deliver action.
We need the Scottish Government agencies to identify future public contracts that could be allocated to the plants at Dalzell and Clydebridge.
Nothing should be off the table for Scottish steel.'' The SNP's Clare Adamson, a member of the taskforce, said the closure of the Ravesncraig steelworks more than two decades ago brought her into politics.
Speaking at Holyrood, she said: The idea of losing these skilled jobs at Dalzell and Clydebridge would represent not only a major blow to the 270 worker and the local economy, but would have a significant negative impact on the national economy.
I trust that today from this chamber we send out that message of solidarity that we will be doing everything wee can to stand with you in this fight to save Scottish steel.''
Transport Scotland is reviewing its projects to see if there are any that could benefit from a Scottish steel supplier.
At its peak, steelmaking employed more than 10,000 people in plants and surrounding businesses in central Scotland, with the famous Ravenscraig site once the biggest producer of hot-strip steel in Europe.
Tata also announced in October that around 900 jobs will be cut from the firm's giant plant in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire.
The company said the cuts were in response to a shift in market conditions caused by a ''flood'' of cheap imports, particularly from China, a strong pound and high electricity prices.