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Corus European Works Council Supports TCP

Posted on Friday, December 11, 2009

Representatives from Teesside Cast Products attended the Corus European Works Council in Ijmuiden, Netherlands today where they secured the support of colleagues from across Europe.

The Corus European Works Council has issued the following statement of support:

“The Corus European Works Council opposes the decision by Tata Corus to close Teesside Cast Products and believes that the decision is premature. It is felt that Tata Corus is rushing to put thousands of people out of work. The EWC supports the Teesside workers in their campaign to keep the plant in production.

The company decision was communicated to the press before all the appropriate employee representatives were fully informed – ignoring established information and consultation practices, which is an issue of grave concern to employees across Europe. The lack of proper communication is an increasing trend across the company in Europe.

There are many outstanding questions about the decision to close TCP. So far Tata Corus haCorus European Works Council Supports TCPs failed to answer why it did not actively pursue potential buyers either of the slab product or TCP itself, who, it is understood, were still interested right up until the announcement was made.

Opportunities to sell or lease the land to provide some income to TCP were also available and local politicians had offered assistance in securing further government support for TCP. It is understood Tata Corus did not wish to explore these other options but there has been no explanation why they would not examine everything to keep TCP as a going concern.

It is simply unacceptable that Tata Corus blames the consortium of offtakers for this precipitative decision.

The EWC questions Tata’s claim to be a socially and morally responsible employer as it is abandoning the Teesside steel community and their families and calls on Tata Corus to reconsider its decision.”

Roy Rickhuss, National Officer for Community, also attending the EWC meeting, said: “We welcome the support from our European colleagues. There is a strong depth of feeling among Corus workers all over Europe about this decision by Corus, which will devastate an entire community on Teesside.”

from www.community-tu.org