Threat of job losses highlights need for EU to be pressed on Chinese dumping
Welsh Conservatives have called on European Union leaders to “show some teeth” by acting on Chinese steel dumping.
The calls come as reports emerge that hundreds of steel jobs could be set to be lost in the Welsh steel industry.
Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies, said:
“Reports of potential job losses at TATA are troubling, and if the numbers are anywhere near those predicted would clearly have a devastating blow on the wider community.
“We’ve known that the steel industry has been under pressure for some time but let’s be clear, nationalisation is not the answer.
“The UK Government will continue to do all that it can to bring down energy prices, but it’s clear that more needs to be done to protect the industry against the dumping of cheap Chinese steel.
“Sadly a degree of restructuring looks inevitable in this instance, but for the steel industry to be viable going forward pressure must be placed on the European Union to repel the issue of dumping by China.
“We are constantly force-fed the line that Britain benefits from being part of a bigger market in the form of the EU; well, it’s high time the European Union showed some teeth, because China’s domestic steel woes cannot be allowed to devastate Welsh jobs and to flood the UK market with cheap and in some instances sub-standard steel.”
Shadow Minister for the Economy, William Graham, said:
“Whilst many of the factors at play here are global in nature, the Welsh Government also has a job to do and Labour's Minister has been slow to act on business rate relief, for example.
“There is also the small matter of £500 million which has been committed by the Conservatives at UK level for major infrastructure projects.
"It’s hard to imagine a better way to trigger legitimate demand for local steel, yet these much needed projects remain very much on the back burner under Welsh Labour.
“We would also like to see action from Welsh Government to implement procurement measures to ensure that all steel used in public sector contracts is of a British standard.”
