1:50pm Saturday 18th July 2009
By Daniel Howlett
STEELWORKERS and union chiefs warned of the devastating impact the closure of Redcar's Corus plant would have on the North-East economy during today's march to save jobs.
Thousands are marching through the streets of Redcar this afternoon as part of the campaign to save 2,000 jobs which are under threat at the Corus plant, where a consortium of companies has pulled out of a 10-year contract to buy its steel.
Terry Pye, national officer for Unite British Steel, said: "If the Teesside plant is mothballed it will mean the loss of around 2,000 jobs, but with the supply chain and the damage to the region's economy, we estimate around 10,000 jobs will be lost.
"Hopefully this march will send a message to Gordon Brown that this area cannot take that hit."
John Curr, honorary vice president of the Corus Seamer plant, said: "I am 65 and the closure of this plant could result in me being left on the scrapheap, along with many others.
"There isn't enough employment in this area as it is.
"The closure of this plant would be devastating.
"In the good times the consortium made three quarters of a billion pounds from us. If they were there for the good times, they should be there for the bad."
Tony Woodley, Unite joint general secretary, added: "The precarious situation of the Corus workforce in Teesside represents the utter failure to protect the UK's steel sector. If this site is not secured there will be a knock on effect across the supply chain in Teesside, many companies depend on this Corus plant."
MPs have called on the Government to bring forward investment projects which require steel, and to source it from the plant.
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