Community union welcomes TRA decision

Community represents most steelworkers in the UK industry and submitted evidence to the TRA’s call for evidence when considering the extension of the safeguarding measures.

This measure protects the UK's steel industry from surges of imported steel. A failure to extend this measure would have left the UK steel industry extremely vulnerable as both the United States and European Union are retaining their own protections. This would see cheap steel imports diverted from US and EU markets to the UK market severely undercutting the UK's domestic steel production.

The TRA has been reviewing whether or not to extend the safeguarding measures for imports of category one steel products into the UK. The Community union has strongly called for the extension of the safeguarding measure as high energy costs, the aftermath of Covid, and greener steel making processes would have made the UK steel industry unable to compete with a surge of cheap high carbon steel from other countries – particularly with protections still in place for the EU and US.

Alasdair McDiarmid, assistant general secretary of the Community Union commented, “The Community Union welcomes today’s report by the TRA. It is vital for our steel industry that it's recommendation for an extension of the safeguarding measures be adopted by the UK Government for another two years at least. Unions and business are united on this call for action from the Government.

“Should the UK Government fail to heed the TRA’s recommendations then we will see the UK’s steel market flooded with cheap dirty steel at a time when our industry is reeling from high energy prices and the aftermath of Covid.

“We’re also calling on the Government within these two years to develop a comprehensive Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to protect our steel industry from cheap carbon-intensive steel imports. The European Union is moving ahead at speed on their own CBAM and the UK Steel industry can not be left in the dust."

McDiarmid said it was time for the Government to show it backs the British steel industry and its steelworkers.

The TRA has been reviewing whether or not to extend the safeguarding measures for imports of category one steel products into the UK. The Community union has strongly called for the extension of the safeguarding measure as high energy costs, the aftermath of Covid, and greener steel making processes would have made the UK steel industry unable to compete with a surge of cheap high carbon steel from other countries – particularly with protections still in place for the EU and US.

Alasdair McDiarmid, assistant general secretary of the Community Union commented, “The Community Union welcomes today’s report by the TRA. It is vital for our steel industry that it's recommendation for an extension of the safeguarding measures be adopted by the UK Government for another two years at least. Unions and business are united on this call for action from the Government.

“Should the UK Government fail to heed the TRA’s recommendations then we will see the UK’s steel market flooded with cheap dirty steel at a time when our industry is reeling from high energy prices and the aftermath of Covid.

“We’re also calling on the Government within these two years to develop a comprehensive Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to protect our steel industry from cheap carbon-intensive steel imports. The European Union is moving ahead at speed on their own CBAM and the UK Steel industry can not be left in the dust."

McDiarmid said it was time for the Government to show it backs the British steel industry and its steelworkers.