Save our steel

Workers from across Teesside will march through Redcar on 18 July 2009 in a campaign to protect the region's Corus plant.

Workers and their families will be carrying placards reading 'Save our Steel' as part of the campaign to safeguard the 150-year-old plant.

The move comes in response to news that about 2,000 workers are under threat since a consortium of companies pulled the plug on a 10-year purchasing contract from the company.

Unite, a leading union at the plant, is one of a coalition of unions who say the community in Teesside will be devastated if the Corus plant was to be shut down, as many local families and businesses depend on the plant for their livelihoods.

The news follows an announcement that Corus proposes to 'improve the competitiveness' of its Scunthorpe site in North Lincolnshire and has identified 366 jobs that are at risk there.

Wherever possible, Corus said that it will seek voluntary redundancies, while at the same time ensuring that critical skills are retained.

In June, the Tata Steel Group, owners of Corus, said that steel deliveries for the 2008-09 financial year were 10 per cent lower compared with 2007-08.

However, the group recorded a turnover of $28,962m for the 2008-09 year, a 12 per cent improvement over the $25,857m it made during 2007-08.