Steel worker makes gut-wrenching speech to Labour conference hours after losing job
The SSI steel works in Redcar, Teesside.
A steel worker brought hundreds of activists to their feet today as he gave a gut-wrenching speech hours after losing his job.
Brian Dennis is one of 1,700 stricken workers at Britain’s second largest steelmaker – the SSI plant in Redcar, Teesside, whose Thai owners said today they plan to mothball the site.
“This morning I was told I’m losing my job,” he told the Labour Party conference. “All of us steel workers on Teesside are facing the end of our industry and a very bleak future. Only the government can save us now.”
Speaking afterwards, he said: “I’d love for David Cameron to come to Teesside and speak to me.
“I would ask why the Germans will help their steel industry, why the French will help their steel industry, why the Italians bought Ilva Steel for £2bn to help their steel industry, yet he hides behind state rules, state aid rules.
“I’m a lowly steel worker – or ex steel worker now – and I don’t understand. We’re all part of Europe, last time I looked on a map. But that man is hiding behind rules that I don’t understand.
So he needs to come to Teesside. He needs to come to speak to me and my colleagues and our councillors and everybody down on that workforce. He needs to come and give us the answers.
“All these woolly words of ‘I’m doing everything I can’ and ‘I will help’ – well we’re not going to see anything. We need people on the streets. We need people down there speaking to us now.”
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Tweeted @melissacade68
JC as leader of the Labour Party is where he is today because he’s i touch with the wo/man on the street; DC et al are only in touch with their banking mates/tax dodgers/super rich.
DC will never go to Teesside; his sat nav doesn’t do North of London/South East.
Meanwhile many of our privatised trains are operated by foreign state-owned and private railway companies and profits subsidise their services back home. Meanwhile Gidiot is doing all he can to get a Chinese company to build our nuclear power stations because we can’t build them any more, and so much of our industry, commerce, land and building is owned by foreign companies and countries. Industrial output continues to fall and continues to add to our trade deficit. I have to say that British politicians of all parties, plus British financiers and bureaucrats have never really supported industry and all believe in a “service economy” where everyone works in offices. You need more than offices to make an economy healthy!
Steel will be needed when we start to build more housing that people can afford. Why should Thai owners care when our government doesn’t?
Well done for speaking out.
Things need to change!
David Cameron wouldn’t even know how to find you as he’s never been your way before and as for giving you money no way
had you been financial however then put the kettle on as he’s on his way over
The steel construction industry has been wiped out over the last 30/40 years once upon a time it was a proud British Industry. British Governments over the years have failed to invest and run the industry down along with the Coal causing so much hardship all around the UK.
So much for the economy is doing well under us tories, how many people have lost their jobs since they’ve been back in, too many! Cameron and his bunch of buggerers won’t even care about the steelworks shutting, or even know where Teesside is, I do, I’m from the North East and the news of this has devastated the area once again and once again the North, especially the North East, suffers under the boot heel of the tory party!
Does that mean, going forward, having to cart our scrap half way around the world for smelting. Homeland production is keeping UK jobs that produce wages etc i would prefer this whole workface to remain productive and available for the upturn than keep those overpaid gamblers, thieves and losers in the London banking market. Commodities trading will be next crash lets hope the Government does not bail or assist them from getting their large backside burnt…..let the traders fail they learnt nothing from the previous gambling excesses and for not looking at the long term downturn.
Short term greed still lives..