WORKERS at beleaguered steel company Corus could be in for a better New Year as unions revealed they were hopeful of saving more than 200 administrative and support staff jobs.

It is almost a year since Corus announced it was shedding 6,000 jobs across the country, including 1,100 on Teesside.

Union officials spent most of last year battling - and ultimately failing - to keep the doomed coil plate mill at Lackenby from closing.

Now attention is turning to Steel House, on the edge of the Corus site at Redcar.

Just 400 workers remain there. The Anglo-Dutch steel company's intention is to cut 230 jobs and move the rest of the staff out of the building.

Managers have put proposals to unions which include keeping some of the jobs on Teesside, while transferring many to Scunthorpe.

But Tony Poynter, chairman of the multi-union steel committee on Teesside, said that for the jobs that survive, alternative office accommodation would have to be found.

In relation to the transfer option, many people did not wish to uproot their families.

"I do not think there will be 230 going and it is not going to be like that," said Mr Poynter. "It is not totally clear and it will be sorted out bit by bit, but we have got a better chance of sorting it out."

Unions are hoping to meet with managers in the next few weeks.