Steel workers - why the special treatment?

[exxon]

So that's your answer as to why the government shouldn't support it. Could have just said that a page ago.

 

You seem to have missed a market collapse in the world price of iron ore. The raw material for steel production. It isn't something that helps the UK much as much of the UKs steel is produced from recycled scrap. Add to that UK wages, UK power costs, and UK business rates and UK steel is very expensive.

China on the other hand produces huge amounts of steel from ore. The demand for steel in China has slumped and the market is awash with it. You don't need a subsidy to undercut UK steel when you have low material costs, low energy costs, low wages and surplius stock that needs to be shifted.

There is no way to compete with that. The UK industries need to move high tech if we are to continue to pay high world wages. We certainly can't pay 1st world wages and then try to compete with the third world in industries where they produce half the world's output and there is overproduction in the world.

 

Any subsidy has to be paid for. A subsidy given to steel manufacturers is a bill to every other industry, or we cut benefits, the NHS or something else to prop up an industry that can't compete, whilst producing a commodity they can't sell.

 

Or even a week ago..

[James Stone]

Any subsidy has to be paid for. A subsidy given to steel manufacturers is a bill to every other industry, or we cut benefits, the NHS or something else to prop up an industry that can't compete, whilst producing a commodity they can't sell.

 

Why not cut Overseas Aid?

[gomgeg]

Why not cut Overseas Aid?

 

We can't, we have to send some to India to support their industry.

I wonder if TATA gets any?

[exxon]

Why not cut Overseas Aid?

 

That would come under "something else". I'm not stopping them.

[*_ash_*]

They shouldn't bail out the steel industry and they shouldn't have bailed out the banks either.

 

That's way too black and white.

[Cyclone]

For reference, it appears that other EU countries (Germany for one) CAN use EU funds to save their steel industries...

 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/28/steelworkers-bankers-eu-heavy-industry-cameron?CMP=fb_gu

 

---------- Post added 30-10-2015 at 08:46 ----------

 

And this is the scale of what is happening

 

the chief economist Paul Forrest calculates that about 260,000 jobs in the Midlands rely on steel for everything from basic metals to car assembly and aerospace engineering. He believes that the closures at Tata, SSI and Caparo leave 52,000 local manufacturing workers at direct risk of losing their jobs within the next five years.

 

---------- Post added 30-10-2015 at 08:48 ----------

 

And this makes it clear that the Tories simply don't care.

 

Here’s an example: the European commission runs a publicly funded globalisation adjustment fund that can grant over £100m a year for precisely the sort of situation British steelworkers now face. The Germans, the French, the Dutch: they’ve all drawn down many millions apiece. The British? European commission officials told me this week that they had never so much as seen an application from the UK.

 

Help IS available, they simply can't be bothered to fill in the paper and get it.

[exxon]

For reference, it appears that other EU countries (Germany for one) CAN use EU funds to save their steel industries...

 

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/28/steelworkers-bankers-eu-heavy-industry-cameron?CMP=fb_gu

 

---------- Post added 30-10-2015 at 08:46 ----------

 

And this is the scale of what is happening

 

 

---------- Post added 30-10-2015 at 08:48 ----------

 

And this makes it clear that the Tories simply don't care.

 

 

 

Help IS available, they simply can't be bothered to fill in the paper and get it.

 

If you are so keen why not invest your kids inheritance in steel and make them millionaires.

[spilldig]

That's way too black and white.

 

It is a bit black and white but not wrong. Regarding steel, as,I think exxon said, if people feel strongly enough about it and they think that it is a viable business,then they should buy shares in it. As to the banks. For one thing I was disappointed when the government did away with index linked savings. Everyone in the country should have a right to have their savings protected against inflation and years ago the government,any party, should have made sure that the advertising on NS&I Index linked savings said,"Save with NS&I and your savings will be protected. Any other savings and investments will be at your own risk".

[lindylou53]

Why you think, troll

 

A troll is not someone who just happens to disagree with your opinion.

[exxon]

It is a bit black and white but not wrong. Regarding steel, as,I think exxon said, if people feel strongly enough about it and they think that it is a viable business,then they should buy shares in it. As to the banks. For one thing I was disappointed when the government did away with index linked savings. Everyone in the country should have a right to have their savings protected against inflation and years ago the government,any party, should have made sure that the advertising on NS&I Index linked savings said,"Save with NS&I and your savings will be protected. Any other savings and investments will be at your own risk".

 

But as I said on the other thread. 80% of British buyers choose to buy an imported car.

 

If British people chose to buy UK manufactured vehicles instead of imports it would create..

 

An extra 600,000 UK jobs

An extra £55billion in turnover each year

An extra £12billion in net value to the British economy.

An extra 2 million tons of UK steel consumed.

 

Infact if that happened I'd be happy to buy shares.

 

The problem would go away. But the British public don't care. Even folk working in the steel industry buy imported cars made from imported steel. If they don't care why should my money be used to bale them out?