Unions 'hope' after Corus talks

Corus announced massive job cuts in February

Steel union leaders hoping to save 6,000 jobs have emerged from a meeting with Corus management claiming there is "definite hope".

The Anglo-Dutch company - which is looking to axe 3,000 jobs in Wales alone - has agreed to set up a joint working party with the unions to look at proposals presented to them on Tuesday.

For the first time they are listening and we welcome that. We have started a genuine debate and there is definite hope

ISTC General Secretary Mike Leahy

Union officials travelled to London to meet Corus executives and presented a package of measures including offering to pay part of the steelworkers' wages until market conditions improved.

Their hope was to persuade company bosses to give the threatened plants a year-long stay of execution.

A further meeting to review progress will be held at Corus's London headquarters in four weeks time.

ISTC General Secretary Mike Leahy said the message was one of hope and that the unions had always insisted that there was an alternative.

"Corus is now engaged in a debate about the future of the industry and we are hoping to make significant progress over the next four weeks," he explained.

LLanwern is one of the plant earmarked for closure

"For the first time they are listening and we welcome that. We have started a genuine debate and there is definite hope."

Asked about the future of Llanwern and Ebbw Vale, Mr Leahy added that he was always optimistic that there was an economic case for all the plants.

Bob Shannon - National Officer of the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union - said: "We feel that at long last we have made some progress.

"For Corus to agree to hold discussions with us is a real breakthrough. The atmosphere has definitely changed."

He maintained that Corus was still the most efficient steel producer in the world, although there were short term problems.

The company revealed heavy losses of £1.15bn when it published its annual results earlier this month.

Following talks with the government, the Welsh Assembly and the European Commission, the unions proposed an aid package worth up to £90m - most of it going towards reducing Corus's wage bill.

Some of the money would come from the public purse in the form of training grants, and the rest would be made up from union funds.