ENRON Teesside Operations Limited (Etol) has won the UK's top award for the quality of its partnership approach to industrial relations.

The company, which employs 530 people on Teesside, supplies a range of services and utilities to other chemical manufacturers at Wilton International, Redcar, Billingham and at North Tees.

The company prides itself on its relations between unions and management and believes that it has made great strides by working closely together despite its parent company's turbulent past few months.

Now its approach has earned it recognition at the UK's premier employee relations event, the annual Union and Management Conference, by winning the 2002 Excellence in Partnership award.

Other firms shortlisted were Scottish Power, Associated Octel and Leyland Trucks Limited.

Etol director George Ritchie said: "Etol is delighted to have won this prestigious award. It is great news for Etol and great news for the Tees Valley area as a whole.

"It is a testament to Etol's belief that the company, every individual within it and the trade unions, working together in harmony, can make a real difference to our performance."

Mike Brider, senior regional industrial organiser of the Transport and General Workers' Union, said: "The business has come a long way in a short time and the employees have been actively involved in finding solutions to issues which have arisen. Etol is a model of how we would like others to go forward."

(anemone)