Date: December 21st
Community Union Regional Director Heather Meldrum writes to all members on Teesside.
Date: 7th January
First Meeting of Teesside taskforce postponed due to snow.
Date: 13th January
A joint statement from Corus and the Trade Unions
A productive first meeting of the Joint Management, Trade Union Task Force was held today on Teesside.
In the interests of maintaining a continuation of meaningful talks with a view to securing a positive future for TCP, Corus agreed to consider a TU proposal to extend TCP’s operating programme and postpone the partial mothballing to the end of February.
This extension of the operating period would not affect timescales associated with the ongoing HR process.
Also at today’s meeting, Corus confirmed its intention to continue operating the South Bank Coke Ovens, following the improvement in the market conditions for coke. As a result of this decision about 120 additional jobs will be retained at South Bank Coke Ovens.
The next meeting of the Taskforce is scheduled for Wednesday 20th January on Teesside.
Date: 14th January
General Secretary Michael J. Leahy announces that closing Teesside would be both Industrial Sabotage and Environmental Vandalism
Date: 15th January
Lack of honest talk over Teesside may provoke ‘Industrial Solution’ say Community Union
The lack of honest talk from Tata Corus – the Indian owned UK Steel giant – over alternatives to mothballing its Teesside operations may provoke an industrial confrontation said the Community Union. Giving evidence before the North East Region Parliamentary Select Committee, Community Union General Secretary Michael J. Leahy OBE was joined by joined by workers from Teesside Cast Products who face redundancy if mothballing goes ahead.
Date 24th January
Teesside steelmaking gets additional weeks
Corus have confirmed to Community today that Teesside Cast Products will continue to make steel for ‘a number of weeks’ beyond the end of January when the plant was due to be mothballed. This was in response to a request by Community and the other trade unions at the first meeting of the TCP Taskforce that the company should continue steelmaking to allow time for meaningful consultation on alternatives to mothballing.
Community General Secretary Michael J Leahy said:
‘These additional weeks will provide valuable time to find an alternative future for steelmaking on Teesside. Tata Corus need to be open-minded to all possibilities as the future of an entire community depends on their actions in the coming weeks.’