'UK steel industry in crisis, needs life-saving surgery'

Amid reports that Indian steel giant Tata Steel is expected to announce 1,200 job cuts in the UK, the country's top steel trade body has said the industry is in "crisis" and needs "life-saving surgery".
Director of UK Steel Gareth Stace has urged on Business Secretary Sajid Javid to honour promises he has made to address some of the challenges facing the industry.
The call comes as Tata Steel is expected to announce 1,200 job cuts this week at sites in Scunthorpe and Lanarkshire.
Javid said, "there is no straightforward solution to the complex global challenges" facing the industry.
"Sajid Javid needs to deliver now, in days and weeks not months and years, on energy costs, business rates costs and fair trade," Stace was quoted as saying by the BBC.

"What I would say is that we need to stem this flow of blood, not with sticking plasters but now with life-saving surgery. The steel industry really is now in crisis," he said.

Meanwhile, leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has also expressed his sadness over reports of the UK's struggling steel industry.
"It has been a really sad day. The steel industry is really under pressure and no solution seems to be in sight," said the chairman of the Caparo Group, that has interests in the steel industry.
According to media reports, Tata Steel is expected to significantly reduce the workforce at its Scunthorpe site, which employs 4,000 people and is one of the UK's largest steel plants.

Tata has not yet confirmed the job cuts but said it has been facing challenges in the UK, including a surge in steel imports and the strong pound.