Unite ‘pursuing’ Redcar package

Unite is “actively pursuing” compensation claims on behalf of former steelworkers at the mothballed SSI plant at Redcar.

A package is being sought from the government’s Redundancy Payments Office, as a result of a “lack of consultation” ahead of the plant’s closure last September.

Some 1,700 faced redundancy when the beleaguered firm announced it was mothballing the site and shut down its blast furnace last October.

It was revealed in late January that more than half of those left looking for work after the Redcar plant’s demise were still out of a job.

Unite regional officer, Pat McCourt said, “the union is actively pursuing tribunal claims on behalf of former SSI employees and members and as such have had a pre-tribunal heading yesterday (March 3).

“We now have 14 days to provide further evidence to the tribunal.

“We will, of course, advise members of any further progress and developments in relation to the claim.

Unite has more than 300 members at the plant.

SSI suspended production at the Redcar blast furnace after blaming rising costs and a slump in demand.

At the time Unite, accused the government of allowing the ‘light to be snuffed out’ on steelmaking in Teesside, following the announcement that coke ovens and blast furnace at the SSI Redcar steel mill would be closed.

The Redcar plant has the capacity to produce 400 slabs of steel a day, each weighing up to 33 tonnes.