Union calls for Corus to 'come clean' over future of steel plant

A ROW over the future of a mothballed steel plant has erupted after a union claimed another firm was interested in buying the factory, potentially saving thousands of jobs.

The union, Community, yesterday urged Corus to "come clean" over the future of the Teesside Cast Products (TCP) site in Redcar, which was partially mothballed earlier this year after an international consortium pulled out of a contract.

Around 1,600 workers lost their jobs, but Community warned that thousands more workers depended on the huge Redcar plant. The union claimed interest in buying the factory had been expressed by Thai steel company SSI.

Community said it understood that SSI visited the TCP plant last Thursday, but the union claimed it was in the dark about whether SSI had made a formal bid for the business.

General secretary Michael Leahy said: "Community wants Corus to come clean about what is going on. Thousands of jobs depend on finding an alternative future for Teesside Cast Products. The rumours just create more uncertainty for the workforce and families – it's a disgrace that Corus is keeping everyone in the dark over this issue and treating the people of Teesside with contempt."

Corus has said it continued to engage with potential investors and was open to offers for TCP.

The process involved due diligence, which routinely led to facility visits, all under conditions of confidentiality, the firm said.