‘Out of the blue’

Unite will meet with construction workers at the Air Product renewable energy plant, TV2, in the Tees Valley today (November 6) after yesterday’s shock job loss announcement.

 
Unite, which represents construction workers working on the site, will meet with Air Product management next week to find out what can be done to save the 700 highly skilled construction jobs now at risk.

 
Unite regional officer for construction Steve Cason described the news that Air Products is to halt all construction on its second energy-from-waste development plant at North Tees Billington, as “coming out of the blue”.

 
“This is a bitter blow for the project’s 700 strong, highly-skilled workforce and crushing for the local economy, coming so soon after the closure of nearby SSI steelworks in Redcar,” he said.

 
“The future of 700 highly-skilled construction workers now hangs in the balance. Unite’s first priority is to get on site and speak to our members about this shock announcement.

 
“We urge Air Products not to turn its back on its 700 strong workforce,” Cason added. “Don’t throw away the excellent industrial relations that have been established from day one of this build. Air Products ought to do all in its power to keep the build on track or at the very least find alternative work for our members.

 
Cason went on to explain that the Unite members feel badly let down by Air Products, without whose commitment and dedication the build would not have run so smoothly.

 
“As it stands, the build was on schedule, has an excellent health and safety record and is 72 per cent complete,” he noted.

 
Dubbed TV2, the energy-from-waste plant in Port Clarence is a short distance from Redcar’s SSI steelworks which closed last month with the loss of 2,200 jobs.