Light at the end of the tunnel as Corus plant's future secured

More than 1,600 workers in one of Britain's darkest unemployment blackspots were thrown on the dole by Corus bosses earlier this year when the plant was mothballed by the Indian multinational Tata corporation.

But after months of delay, Thailand's largest steel producer Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI) has agreed to buy the factory for £321 million.

SSI president Win Viriyaprapaikit declared that the firm "has great respect for the tradition of steelmaking on Teesside and for the highly skilled Teesside workforce" and he promised that the company would soon revive both the plant's melting and steel rolling mills.

Steelworkers Community union leader Michael Leahy proclaimed the sale as "great news for Teesside.

"The resumption of production on Teesside will rejuvenate the local area, get people back into work and will ensure a strong future for the British steel industry," he emphasised.

"The trade unions have worked tirelessly for a resolution to this situation and for our members, who have been surviving on a knife edge, the sale will mark the beginning of a new era of steelmaking," Mr Leahy added.

Unite national officer Terry Pye pointed out: "Last year this site was pronounced dead, but thanks to the determination of the workforce and their unions this steel plant has been brought back to life.

"Steelmaking has been at the heart of Teesside for over a hundred years and it is a testament to the support of the local community that we can see steelmaking continue for another hundred years," he declared.

GMB national secretary Keith Hazlewood also welcomed the news. She declared that "a strong Teesside will build a strong industrial future for Britain."

Unite joint general secretary Derek Simpson insisted that SSI "has recognised that this country's steelworkers are among the world's finest.

"Corus workers fought tooth and nail for the chance of a future," he explained.

"We now ask that the government ensures that every assistance is given to see that this purchase is smooth and that jobs and skills are retained for the north-east," he said.