UK government and Tata pledge £9m to steel workers

The UK government has pledged £6m to a £9m support package to help Tata Steel workers who have lost their jobs as the industry struggles to compete with cheap Chinese imports.

UK Steel Enterprise, which is a subsidiary of Tata Steel, has pledged £3m which the government is matching, as well as putting in another £3m to re-train the affected employees.

UK Steel Enterprise has also pledged a separate £1.5m to help the 270 Tata Steel workers in Scotland who have been made redundant following plans to close its Dalzell and Clydebridge sites.

Business Secretary Sajid Javid said on Friday: “This is a very difficult time for the workforce, so it is important that the government and the company have come together to support people and the local economy.

"The government has no intention of simply standing aside whilst the steel industry faces global challenges on a scale unprecedented in recent years.”