Union plan unveiled for Scunthorpe steelworks
A union plan for Scunthorpe steelworks would need further Government investment
The community union in Scunthorpe has unveiled its plans designed to secure the future of Scunthorpe steelworks.
It follows concerns about what the move to greener electric arc furnaces will mean for the plant.
Unions have previously feared up to 2 thousand jobs could be at risk.
However the proposals would mean even greater investment by the Government.
Last Sunday the Government launched their strategy to invest 2-and-a-half-billion pounds into the future of the UK steel industry.
Now the community union has put forward it's own proposals.
We're Scunthorpe steelworks to close, the UK would become the only G7 country without domestic steelmaking capacity
They say the proposals would ensure the continued operation of two existing blast furnaces at the British Steel site in Scunthorpe while two new electric arc furnaces (EAFs) are constructed.
However it would mean an additional 200 million pounds of Government support to mitigate carbon costs in the interim period.
Community general secretary Roy Rickhuss said: "The new plan from our experts at Syndex lays out the roadmap towards a just transition for British Steel in Scunthorpe, which is a site of huge strategic importance to the UK as our last remaining primary steelmaking site.
"Were Scunthorpe steelworks to close, the UK would become the only G7 country without domestic steelmaking capacity - that would represent a huge risk to national security and sovereignty, with the country becoming reliant on dirty imports from overseas.
That is not something we should ever be willing to accept.
British Steel says it's in active discussions with the UK government about the future of our steelmaking operations
"The new expert-led proposal for British Steel has the support of all the steel unions and offers an achievable and potentially profitable solution for decarbonising Scunthorpe, provided that there is an injection of support on carbon costs over the transition period.
"By maintaining blast furnace production whilst new technologies are introduced on-site, the new plan for Scunthorpe would avoid the need for a destructive cliff-edge for the workforce, and it provides long-term certainty for the steelworks and the wider community it supports."
"A British Steel spokesperson said: "British Steel is in active discussions with the UK government about the future of our steelmaking operations."
"Our trade union partners will be an important part of that future, and we welcome their contribution to the debate in the Syndex report."
- Steel giant Tata has shut down blast furnaces at its site in Port Talbot, south Wales and is switching to producing steel with an electric arc furnace..