Steel workers urge UK government to save industry

Steel workers from south Wales have joined a lobby of Parliament urging UK government action to save the industry.

They have warned thousands more jobs could be lost due to a combination of high energy costs and cheap imports.

Workers from Tata Steel plants in Port Talbot and Llanwern, Newport, joined the demonstration on Wednesday ahead of a Labour-led Commons debate on steel.

Business Secretary Sajid Javid has called for an emergency EU meeting to discuss the crisis in the industry.

Dozens of workers, many wearing "Save Our Steel" T-shirts, gathered at Westminster in a demonstration organised by the Unite and Community trade unions.

Jason Wyatt, an electrician at Tata Steel in Port Talbot, urged ministers to cut business rates and energy costs for his employer.

"We are worried about what the business will do in terms of any short-term measures such as lay-offs," he said.

"The steel works is the biggest employer by a mile in Port Talbot and any job losses would have a massive impact on the area."

Aberavon MP Stephen Kinnock was one of several MPs supporting the demonstration