Ssi Steelworks At Redcar

[mrs_overall]

This is more of a rant than a reference to a specific media article.
Living in North Yorkshire on the border with Teesside, I am sick to the back teeth of this subject being talked about by all and sundry.
Fact: Corus sold this steelworks to Tata as it was making a loss year after year
Fact: Tata sold this steelworks to SSI as it was making a loss year after year
Fact: SSI have gone bust as this steelworks was making a loss year after year.
Yes it is sad that 1,700 people have lost their jobs but the Government has pledged £80 million to support these people. If my maths is correct, that is around £470,000 per worker. This is money supplied by you and me as taxpayers.
There are howls of outrage that the Government are not doing anything to save this steelworks. My argument is that it is a privately owned business so why should the Government step in? If my local corner shop went bust, would the shopkeeper expect the Government to step in? Why on earth should taxpayers money be wasted on throwing good after bad? Redcar Labour MP Anna Turley is shouting from the rooftops that this should happen.
Stories abound of how all the families will lose their homes and the kiddies will be sitting in the street with no food or shelter on Christmas day, while the evil Tories look on and laugh.
Is anyone with me on this one?
I will now go lie down in a darkened room with a stiff drink.

[andy-hughes]

It is a tragedy that jobs will be lost and homes will suffer - but as far as the plant is concerned, it is not retrievable.

There is a massive global downturn in the cost of steel production, and China, once the UK's major company, now manuafactures its own domestic requriemtens. Add to that the world market slump, and unprofitable companies, go to the wall, that is market forces.

the governemtn - apart from the fact that they are contrained by EU regualtions which prevent a bailout - are sxavvy enough to know that financial injections of tax players money will not save this plant, it has to shut.

So yes, it procokes the age-old knee-jerk reactions, but the area will need to adapt and grow in other areas - as other areas have had to do.

I live in Stoke-on-Trent, once home to one of the biggest steel manufacturers in Europe, on of the biggest Michelin sites in the world, and the largest producers of finer pottery in the world - and all have gone in the last twenty years.

I do not recall massive media coverage, or massive government hand-outs, the area has suffered hugely, but communities have to get on with what is, not with what would be ideal.

[mrs_overall]

Andy Hughes - I have said it before and I will say it again - you are the most sensible man on the planet.
You have summed the situation up brilliantly

[andy-hughes]

Thank you Mrs Overskilled - a great pleasure to have you back!!

[gness]

Oi!...Hands off!... ;-)

[mrs_overall]

Gness, what a lovely shade of green you are x

[gness]

Pack it in or I'll visit you!

[tonyav]

mrs o due to the state of the British steel industry It looks like it's very likely that I will be joining the men at Redcar on the dole queue The company that I work for are going into administration today.
http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2015/10/19/1600-black-country-jobs-at-risk-as-manufacturing-giant-caparo-faces-administration/

[mikey4444]

Tonyav...you have my sympathy....my job is coming to an end at Xmas. Its not so easy getting another job at 63 next birthday !

[tonyav]

A sorry state of affairs for both of us then, mikey.
I found out about Caparo on my way home, it was on the 2.30 radio WM news.
How bad is that !.

[mikey4444]

Here it is Tony :::::

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34574982

But don't forget...we are all in this together !

[tonyav]

Thanks for the link, mikey.
The picture on the link is of Caparo's place on the Scunthorpe steel works.

[mrs_overall]

mikey and tony - I am so sorry to hear your sad news. Fingers crossed that both of you find jobs xx

[tonyav]

Thanks mrs o, I think it's gonna be tough finding a job though.

[mikey4444]

Thanks Mrs O !

[DTCwordfan]

Yes sorry to hear this guys.....I sympathise with mrs O's views, one salient fact to throw in the mix being that China has more spare steel capacity over its current production level than the whole of Europe's capacity - this is not a problem that is going away in a month or two, even a year or two.

The one thing that I would be looking at, as government or a new company, is whether the facility could be in part used for high-value steel manufacure, more on the lines of specialist alloys, titanium and all the rest. Not all 1700 jobs may be salvaged but maybe 500 - well it would be a start.......they've done this with refinery closures as an analogy...

[tonyav]

Yep, the main cause is China flooding Europe with cheap steel ( we can't compete with their prices ).

[EDDIE51]

Sorry to tonyav & mikey. Been there myself, redundant 4x in my life.
Only been able to find part time, work / agency, work since the last redundancy 7 years ago. When I was 'signing on' the job-center clerk told me in private that '' We find it almost impossible to even get interviews for job seekers over 55''
So I went to temp agency and told them I would do anything, that led to me being offered work washing pots in restaurant kitchens.
So now I'm a part time potwasher with an Industrial Chemistry degree !
Keep the faith , any job is better than none.

[tonyav]

I was also made redundant 7 years ago, Eddie. It took me a whole year to find the job that I have now. I think I would have to be extremely lucky to find another job, especially in industry.

[DTCwordfan]

any specialist steel fabricators near you, tony, making end-products......?

[Togo]

Hell av and mikey. I have sympathy for you and all the others. I was made redundant with a 2 month old daughter to think about, and confess that it took me some time to find my feet. You both appear to be upbeat resourceful men, I hope you can keep that outlook and find something that suits you both soon.