Union protest over proposed Scunthorpe steel job losses

The Unite protest was held outside Scunthorpe's Job Centre

A union has held a protest against proposed job losses at Scunthorpe's steel works.

Members of Unite gathered outside the town's Job Centre on Wednesday.

The union claimed up to 2,000 jobs were at risk after British Steel announced plans to close its blast furnaces in the North Lincolnshire town.

The firm said plans to replace them with an electric arc furnace would help transform it into "a green and sustainable company".

Martin Foster, a trade union convener at the plant, has worked at the site since 1978. He said workers "understand the need to go green".

"We understand the need to make environmentally friendly steel," said Mr Foster.

"But there are different ways of doing it. It's that there isn't just the electric furnace."

He added: "We don't believe that going to a single electric arc furnace is the right way to go, that's all the eggs in one basket .

"It limits our capacity, it actually reduces our current capacity and it costs us circa 2,000 or more jobs.

"We believe there are other ways to do this."

Union convenor Martin Foster said workers "understand the need to go green".

Joining the workers at the protest was pharmacist Michelle Marshall.

She said the plant was the "lifeblood of the town".

"The steel works are the major employers locally, so this is steel town," she said.

"Without the steel works, I can't imagine how Scunthorpe will survive because it isn't just the people directly employed by the steel works."

A British Steel spokesman said decarbonisation was "a major challenge".

He added: "We're committed to transforming British Steel into 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.

"Our owners, Jingye, have already invested £330m in British Steel in less than four years and are committed to the unprecedented investment decarbonisation requires."

British Steel plans to replace two coal-fire furnaces with an electric arc furnace at its Scunthorpe works

A Department for Business and Trade Spokesperson said: "The government stepped in to ensure the future of steel in South Wales with an unprecedented package of support, preserving thousands of jobs that were previously at risk.

"This shows our commitment to UK steel, and we have offered a similarly generous support package to British Steel to help them cut emissions, safeguard jobs and keep steel production in Scunthorpe.

"Discussions with British Steel are still ongoing."