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Issue date

date: Monday 19 October 2015

embargo: For immediate release

The TUC has warned today (Monday) that one in six (5,200) UK steelworkers now face the prospect of losing their jobs.

Responding to the news that steel firm Caparo are to make 1,800 redundancies, on top the 1,200 being made at TATA and 2,220 at SSI, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“One in six UK steelworkers face losing their jobs. At this rate there won’t be a British steel industry in a year’s time.

“Ministers cannot afford to stand on the sidelines and watch this crisis unfold. They must step in now with a rescue package.

“From solar to steel, the government’s lack of industrial strategy is costing the UK dear.

“If David Cameron and George Osborne don’t up their game, more firms will go to the wall. They must provide emergency financial support in next month’s Spending Review. And they must urgently raise with the Chinese President the devastating impact Chinese steel dumping is having on British manufacturers.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- UK Steel estimates that there are 30,000 people employed by the UK steel industry. SSI in Redcar has announced that 2,200 jobs will be lost when the plant closes. Tata Steel are due to confirm tomorrow that 1,200 jobs will be lost from sites in England and Scotland. With Caparo set to announce that 1,800 jobs are to go, this brings the total to 5,200.

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk
- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @The_TUC and follow the TUC press team @tucnews
 

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Alex Rossiter  T: 020 7467 1285  M: 07887 572130  E: arossiter@tuc.org.uk
Tim Nichols  T: 020 7467 1388  M: 07808 761844  E: tnichols@tuc.org.uk
Michael Pidgeon  T: 020 7467 1372  M: 07717 531150  E: mpidgeon@tuc.org.uk
Elly Gibson (Mon to Wed)  T: 020 7467 1337  M: 07900 910624  E: egibson@tuc.org.uk

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