Union holds protest over threatened Scunthorpe steel jobs

The two blast furnaces at Scunthorpe could be replaced with a single electric arc furnace

Hundreds of signs protesting about the treatment of the UK steel industry by the government have been put up across Scunthorpe and South Yorkshire.

The "Steel Not For Sale" placards are part of a national campaign by the Unite union.

British Steel announced plans to close down its blast furnaces in the North Lincolnshire town, with a union claiming up to 2,000 jobs were at risk.

The firm said they would be replaced with one of two electric arc furnaces.

Wayne Wright from Unite said the union "cannot allow" the level of job losses that the closure of the coal-fired furnaces could bring.

He called for a change in the law to make it mandatory for British steel to be used in UK projects.

"We believe that a change in the procurement laws, and the investment granted with the green, can fetch up to 8,000 jobs in the industry," he said.

Supporting the protest was Labour councillor Judith Matthews who said further job losses would turn Scunthorpe into a "ghost town".

"For every steel worker job that will go, you are taking five jobs in the community," she said.

"We have a lot of small businesses, we have a lot of companies that work with the steelworks that supply, we have sewing shops, bakeries, cafes and they will not be able to manage."

Wayne Wright from Unite said the law should be changed to ensure UK made steel is used

British Steel said the proposed £1.25bn investment in Scunthorpe and its Teesside plant would make it "a green and sustainable company".

"We firmly believe electrification will provide a rapid and sustainable solution to our decarbonisation challenge in addition to providing support for sustainable employment," a spokesman said.

The firm, which is owned by China's Jingye Group, said it had invested £330m in UK steelmaking and said it remained in talks with the UK government about support for "making the low-embedded carbon steel Britain needs for generations to come."

The Department for Business and Trade said it was committed to UK steel production.

"We have offered a generous support package to British Steel to help them cut emissions, safeguard jobs and unlock over a billion pounds in stakeholder investments," a spokesperson said.

"Discussions with British Steel are still ongoing."