Redcar Steel Plant

Redcar's steel plant is to be mothballed with the loss of 1700 jobs. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34377756
Surely there must be some way to keep our Industry alive, I would like to know where the steel comes from for the various Japanese car plants around the country.

Re: Redcar Steel Plant

This country's been going down the drain for years coal mines gone, shipyards gone, steelyards gone gonna have to get use to it im afraid.☺

Re: Redcar Steel Plant

Yes I guess we do but it's dangerous not to have our own industries IMO we should not rely on other countries to produce for us, we should be doing it ourselves.

Re: Redcar Steel Plant

Unfortunately Thatcher and the Tory/New Labour governments which followed her didn't share that view and Maggie's privatisation of key industries coupled with deregulation of the stock exchange meant that the vast majority of our key industries (the few which still exist) and our water and energy companies are now foreign owned.

Re: Redcar Steel Plant

Yes I gather that plant has been a bit precarious for some years and was sold off by Tata, the Indian company who own much of the former British Steel and Jaguar/Land Rover, to its present owners.

My interest is that I was brought up in Port Talbot, which has long had a huge steel plant still owned by Tata, and still have family there. I didn't know that the price of steel had fallen dramatically this year as the article states which is worrying. Port Talbot likes to feel that because it has the Iron Ore port and the initial stages Blast Furnaces that it is relatively safe as the rest of the industry can't function without it but they could always bring in steel for finishing here?

I agree that one of the big problems is that we don't own the manufacturing that we have got left and when things are tight the countries of the owners will often be given preference for retaining factories.

Re: Redcar Steel Plant

It happened in Sheffield as well years ago.
China is supposed to be the problem now. They have
lots of cheap labour which makes the steel cheap.
If they flood the world with theirs there is no room for
some other steel for a bit more money.
It has been mentioned for a while that it was on the wain
and after the Indian billionaires moved out you would think
someone with intelligence would have done something to
foresee the future.
I feel sorry for these old industries who are being chucked out of
their jobs after decades of dedication. Shouldn't have to do that
but commodities industry is a up and down thing.
Shame and sometimes wish I could help but not being a
billionaire cant.

Re: Redcar Steel Plant

Saw this on the news - very sad, feel so much for the workers and their families

Re: Redcar Steel Plant

The closure of this steel plant is the result of a slump in world steel prices, caused, among other things by the Chinese dumping loads of cheap steel onto the market

Presumably these are the same Chinese who received £27M in aid from Britain last year

Re: Redcar Steel Plant

I saw that on the news, what a shame to see this happen, I feel for the workers and their families.

Re: Redcar Steel Plant

Corby,Sheffield and now Redcar. Steel gone. They say we need more houses-well I grew up in the area of the brickyards in Bedfordshire. All gone now so where do the bricks come from??