BATTLING to save Britain's steel industry should be keeping the directors of Corus fully occupied.

Their company is being consumed by a mountain of debt, with losses running at more than £1m a day.

They should be recognising their responsibility for the plight, and be spending every second of every working day trying to revive the fortunes of the business.

With Corus in such dire trouble, it is staggering that they can manage to find the time to devise a new bonus scheme for themselves.

Instead, they should follow the example set by the 3,000-strong Corus workforce on Teesside who, faced with the challenge of battling to save their livelihoods, have responded with record levels of productivity.

For the directors to even contemplate having their six-figure salaries topped up at this moment in time is crassly insensitive.

It harks back to the 'fat cats' scandals in the privatised utilities in the early 1990s, which caused so much damage to the reputation of the business community.

We sincerely hope the Corus directors recognise this serious error of judgement and refuse to participate in this iniquitous bonus scheme.

Like the rest of the workforce, they should come to the sensible conclusion that keeping their jobs is sufficient reward.

And if the directors opt not to do the honourable and sensible thing, we urge shareholders to ensure that justice prevails and reject what amounts to a betrayal of the loyal and hard-working employees on Teesside and other sites across the country.

Call for calm

LESSONS have to be learned from the death of John Paul Robertson.

No matter how bitter rivalries and feuds might be, they do not warrant a loss of life.

The police have called for an end to the simmering dispute which has marred Darlington for several years.

We echo those sentiments and support the appeal for calm in the wake of the conviction of Barry Durham.