Joint union-industry report reveals threat to steelworkers’ jobs from government’s climate change and energy policies

 

Community Union today welcomed the publication of a joint report by the TUC and the Energy-Intensive User Group into the cost burden to heavy industry of the UK’s climate change and energy policies.

 

Commenting on the report, General Secretary Michael J Leahy said:

 

“This report is a welcome and revealing insight into the challenges faced by heavy industry.  We accept that we must move towards a low carbon economy – but the route you take to get there is all important.  The UK’s steel industry is already among the greenest in the world and steel can play its part in the renewable energy projects that will help our transition.  But to do this we need to counter the threat from ‘carbon leakage’ that is putting the steel industry and our members’ jobs at risk today.”

 

“The industry is operating under an uncertain and costly regime of climate change and energy policy, which means that decisions on essential R&D to green the industry further are being held back while energy prices are increasing.  This is why Community Union supports the report’s calls for a Government review of the impact of its policies on energy intensive industry such as steel.

 

“We also want the EU and the UK Government to reconsider the proposal to move to a unilateral 30% carbon reduction target without the vital industrial policy that is required to achieve it and the certainty that is needed for investment to happen.”

 

Community Union, along with Unite and the GMB, has written to EU Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard calling for her to reconsider the proposed change in the target.

 

Ends.

 

Editor’s Notes:

 

1. The TUC EIUG report is available here: http://www.tuc.org.uk/extras/wwastudy.pdf

2. EUIG TUC press release: http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-18252-f0.cfm