THOUSANDS of the region’s steelworkers are anxiously waiting to hear if their jobs are safe this morning as their employer prepares to shed a reported 3,500 posts worldwide.

Corus, the Anglo-Dutch company, has been affected by a rapid decline in both the construction industry and in car manufacturing.

The company, which employs 24,000 people in the UK and has steelmaking operations on Teesside and in Port Talbot, South Wales, and Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, has said the move will not result in the closure of any of its sites.

Corus, which declined to comment on the reports, employs about 3,500 people in the region and union officials and Government ministers have been holding talks in a lastditch attempt to minimise the number of potential job losses – with as many 2,000 predicted to be in the UK.

Minister for the North-East Nick Brown has been involved in conversations with the management at Europe’s second largest steelmaker. He said: “I have met the company and the crucial thing to avoid is a temporary close-down, which would reduce the life of the plants.

“I hope the impact on the businesses on Teesside can be minimised, but with the worldwide production of steel having reduced as a result of the credit crunch and downturn, we are not exempt from these economic forces.

“Everything that the Government can do to help the people of Redcar and Hartlepool in this difficult crisis is going to be done. I’m in contact with Jobcentre Plus to make sure that is so.”

The firm, which was formed a decade ago from the merger of British Steel and Dutch firm Hoogovens, has made no formal announcement about which sites are to be hit by the latest jobs cuts.

Two years ago it was bought by Tata Steel, sister company of Tata Motors, the owner of Jaguar Land Rover, for £6.7bn. Bosses say they are facing an unprecedented slump in demand for steel as prices tumble amid fierce competition from rival producers in Brazil and India.

Jimmy Skivington, regional organiser for the GMB union, said: “There has been nothing mentioned locally about job cuts on Teesside other than the ones that are already on the cards. “I can certainly say I know nothing about any job losses at this particular time. There was a meeting of national officers last week and I’m sure that if there was to be major job losses in the region, I would have been informed about them.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Redcar MP Vera Baird, who said: “I know there is to be announcement later this week, but my instincts tell me that workers on Teesside could be relatively unaffected.

“However, it is terrible news for the workers that are facing losing their jobs during this economic crisis.”

Earlier this month, two of the region’s biggest manufacturers – Nissan and Cummins – shed more than 1,300 jobs.