SSI Task Force Meet To Discuss Future of Teeside Steelworks
A Task Force dedicated to solving Teesside's steel making crisis are meeting this morning for the first time since Monday's announcement that the Redcar plant was closing.
A Task Force dedicated to solving Teesside's steel making crisis are meeting this morning for the first time since Monday's announcement that the Redcar plant was closing.
The group is made up of various local organisations and authorities, including SSI management, local MPs and union reps.
Redcar MP Anna Turley, SSI Business Director Cornelius Louwrens and Mayor of Middlesbrough Dave Budd are among those who are tasked with finding solutions to the ongoing crisis at SSI's Redcar plant.
The group will be chaired by Amanda Skelton, Chief Executive of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.
They met for the first time last Friday, when work at the site was at a stand-still and workers were waiting to hear if they were to be kept on.
On Monday the announcement was made that 1700 employees are starting redundancy procedures as work at the site is formally mothballed.
For union leaders, the priority is to ensure the site is properly mothballed, and the firm has the funds to ensure workers will receive full redundancy pay in the coming months.
One of the organisations represented at the meeting today is JobCentre Plus, who're tasked with ensuring former workers are properly supported as they search for new, secure jobs.
Jason Livingston is service transformation manager, he told TFM he wants to make sure the task force know that time is of the essence during a job search.
He said: "Although each individual employee is in a very difficult position, the faster we can work with them to move them back into employment, the knock on benefits are huge."
"They then don't need to make benefit claims and they have disposable income in the area."
"We need to make sure turn the thoughts and ideas we have to support people into actions quickly, so that we can actually be seen to give the support as quickly as possible."
Support for the steelmaking industry on Teesside has continued to mount over the past few weeks, with supporters continuing to urge the government to Save Our Steel.
Middlesbrough actor Neil Grainger has also got on board, creating a new video highlighting the plight of the steel industry in the region.
The Teesside star says it's the least he can do to help the people of Teesside get over what is a devastating blow.
He said: "Something I realised from the Boro videos is that I can galvanise people, round people up in some way with the videos.
"And I thought, well there's no better way to use that to highlight the plight of these people and try to get something done.
"There's isn't much I can do, I have a very small understanding of politics.
I'd rather use Twitter to breed some kind of love and help people in some way."