UNIONS will find out next week if they have been successful in their battle to reduce the number of redundancies at a troubled chromium plant.

Managers at Elementis Chromium are meeting the Transport and General Workers' Union (T&G) and Amicus union next week. Elementis, in Eaglescliffe, Teesside, said in October it planned to shed 120 jobs, or half its workforce, at the Urlay Nook plant, and close one of its kilns.

Joe Keith, the T&G's senior industrial organiser, said the union was fighting to reduce the cuts.

Commenting on a meeting between managers and unions that took place on Thursday, he said: "It was a shorter meeting than expected.

"The company listened to our suggestions and have gone away and will come back to us on Tuesday."