Steelworkers march to save jobs

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Union members will march through Redcar, Teesside, to highlight the threat to the local Corus plant, where a consortium of companies has pulled out of a 10-year contract to buy the 150-year-old plant's steel, putting 2,000 jobs at risk.

Derek Simpson, joint leader of Unite, said: "In a show of defiance Unite members will march to demonstrate that 150 years of iron and steelmaking in Teesside matters."

He continued: "The loss of the Corus plant will rip the heart out of this local community. The thousands of workers at Corus must be supported in order to maintain a viable world-class industry in the future."

Tony Woodley, Unite joint general secretary, added: "The precarious situation of the Corus workforce in Teesside represents the utter failure to protect the UK's steel sector. If this site is not secured there will be a knock on effect across the supply chain in Teesside, many companies depend on this Corus plant.

"Workers and their families will march to send a clear message to the management of Corus and the Government, this community must not be forgotten."

Community leaders warned that job losses would "dramatically" increase the number of children living in poverty on Teesside.

Union official Richard Green said: "With the plight of children becoming a serious problem in our community, it's time to recognise that the best answer to the threat of children living in poverty is to ensure that their parents have access to sustainable long-term employment."

Local MPs have called on the Government to bring forward investment projects which require steel, and to source it from the huge plant which is a major employer on Teesside.