Task force to help Corus workers

The firm has been hit by the fall in global demand for steel

A task force is being sent into Scunthorpe to support up to 500 workers facing redundancy at steelmakers Corus.

Corus announced on Thursday it was cutting almost 2,000 more jobs at UK plants, including Teesside, Scunthorpe and Rotherham.

The company blamed the job losses on a "further deterioration" in steel demand in the US and Europe.

Yorkshire Forward said a task force set up at Rotherham would be extended to the Scunthorpe and Stocksbridge sites.

About 500 white-collar jobs could go at Scunthorpe, while 375 jobs are at risk in Teesside and in Scotland. Up to 800 may go in Rotherham and Stocksbridge.

Whatever the individual needs, we'll be putting those resources on site in Scunthorpe so people can access the support

James Farrar, Yorkshire Forward

In January, the firm announced a series of cost-cutting measures, which included mothballing a steel mill in South Wales as well as 3,500 job cuts worldwide, including the 2,500 in the UK with 713 of those lost in Rotherham.

James Farrar, assistant director of business at Yorkshire Forward, said: "Obviously this is a real blow for the area.

"We already have a task force in place and we've been working closely with Corus since they made their first restructuring announcement in January.

"We'll now be ramping that up and making sure all support is available for individuals right across the Scunthorpe site, be that training, be that CV writing, interview techniques.

"Whatever the individual needs, we'll be putting those resources on site in Scunthorpe so people can access the support.

"What I can absolutely guarantee at this point is every single individual affected by this announcement will receive the one-to-one support they need to try and get them back in work as quickly as possible."

Corus has been hit by a fall in demand for steel as the global recession hits the industry.

Corus chief Kirby Adams said: "Any recovery in Europe appears to be some time off, so it is vital that we take this proportionate and responsible action now.

"We have to achieve long-term, sustainable competitiveness in a global and over-supplied steel market."