TOBACCO workers whose livelihoods are threatened by a new European directive lobbied council officials yesterday for support in their fight to save their jobs.
More than 500 jobs are at risk at the Rothmans tobacco plant in Darlington because of proposed legislation to ban the manufacture and export of cigarettes above 10mg tar.
Workers met Darlington Borough Council chiefs yesterday to gather support for their campaign against the directive.
They say politicians, including Darlington MP, Health Minister Alan Milburn, have largely ignored pleas to help fight their corner.
A study illustrating the massive economic impact of the closure of the Rothmans plant was sent to councillors on the Labour-controlled Darlington council.
But it is understood that no one has replied yet and only one councillor has actually visited the plant.
Ron Elstob, the representative of the engineers' union, the AEEU, at the Darlington plant, said: "The way many of our politicians are planning to vote on this, they are, in effect, voting us out of jobs.
"We will eventually have our chance to vote them out if that is the way it is to be."
Tony Richmond, the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Darlington, who organised the meeting with borough council chief executive Barry Keel, said: "Rothmans is Darlington's second largest employer in the private sector.
"It would be a devastating blow if it were forced to close because of what is a political decision made in Brussels.
"Our town hall must now give a lead and put political pressure on the British Government and the European Parliament to get this export ban lifted."
Union bosses and workers have already lobbied the European Parliament over the proposed directive, which could be introduced from 2003.
They plan a further lobby of MEPs in Strasbourg, next month, when the issue is to be discussed again.
Up to 75 per cent of production at the Darlington plant could be affected by the directive, leading to cigarette manufacture being moved abroad.
Earlier this month, North-East MPs John Cummings and Fraser Kemp tabled a House of Commons motion urging the UK Government to drop its support for the directive
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