Half-pay threat to steelworkers
STEELWORKERS could find themselves laid off on half-pay if the economic situation worsens.
The blow came on the same day as Tata, Corus' owners and owners of the troubled Jaguar Land-Rover group, announced it had signed a deal to sponsor Formula 1 team Ferrari.
Yesterday it was revealed Jaguar Land-Rover had asked the Government to consider state aid to help the car manufacturer.
Scunthorpe's main steel union Community has already distanced itself from the shift changes at the Corus works, claiming management had breached national agreements on some of the issues.
The changes would see working in most of the non-steel-making areas on the 2,000-acre site cease from 6am Saturday until 6am Monday, from January until at least March 2009.
Works director Sean Lyons has told the 4,500 employees: "This means that some employees who receive a shift premium for working anti-social hours will receive less of a shift premium."
In a newsletter to workers this week he said: "In certain areas it may also be necessary to invoke the terms of the guaranteed working week, which means the possibility of employees being laid off at 50 per cent of their normal earnings if our order books dictate we have sufficient shifts of zero activity."
Community national general secretary Michael Leahy confirmed the union was in 'ongoing' discussions with Corus at a national lever regarding potential lay-offs on 50 per cent of their earnings.
"We are trying to find a solution which does not bring undue financial hardship for our members in the short to medium term and ensures a long-term future for steel in Scunthorpe," he said.
For the full story, buy today's Scunthorpe Telegraph.
120 Comments
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by Researcher, Scunthorpe
Tuesday, December 23 2008, 11:43PM
“Having studied the Tata cashflow and the steelmarket forecast for 2009 I have grave doubts about Corus riding out this downturn, steelworkers in the past may have felt secure in their work, this situation is a little more serious, you may be out of work in 2009 guys sorry just being honest.”
by patriot, brumby
Monday, December 22 2008, 3:45PM
“Renationalise steel, rail, coal. Reclaim our country.”
by sdh, other side o the world
Monday, December 22 2008, 6:47AM
“Keep up the good work u corus/tata guys u deserve the high wages..i enjoyed a good standard of living while there 4 25 yrs..shift work sucks... u earn it..enough said...”
by Walter, Scun
Monday, December 22 2008, 12:08AM
“Why does a-s-s get ***, is this a comic????”
by Walter, Scun
Monday, December 22 2008, 12:05AM
“Well, people who don't understand how shifts work, you take your mate off from the previous shift when you arrive. There maybe winners and losers but this is normally sorted between the people concerned. The fact is the job is covered or ass gets kicked. It's not an issue and the system works.”
by Corus Charlie, Shiftworking
Sunday, December 21 2008, 8:58PM
“Burringham (Scun, offices) and Steve Bottesford,
Judging by your comments about shift handover neither of you have worked in a 24/7 industry so to be perfectly honest you ought to keep your comments to yourselves.
Steve,
As for insinuating that we are liars - that is extremely low. Maybe you ought to look at yourself as you brought it up.”
by common sence, scunthorpe
Sunday, December 21 2008, 8:46PM
“Common sence, keep taking the large wages whilst the firm is making no money and you will loose everything.please think about it before saying anything.It does'nt matter how hard you say you graft or you deserve it,it really is common sence!!!!!!!.”
by Charles Dickens in, Hard times
Sunday, December 21 2008, 8:24PM
“Quote at Xmas. "The greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people".Oddly enough there was also a character called Slackbridge in the story whom was a trade union leader, he was described and pillared at the masses as a "fragment of middle class imagination",,,,,this was 1853,,,,, .So nothing much really changes.”
by toshreader, shining my pants
Sunday, December 21 2008, 7:46PM
“toomuchtimeatwork, you talk tosh. please note time and date on postings before you make any more daft comments”
by TooMuchTimeAtWork, Sc'pe
Sunday, December 21 2008, 7:31PM
“I bet over 90% of these comments are posted while people are at work anyway! No wonder they need to make pay cuts if all everyone does is spend all day on here! Get a proper job, I feel sorry for the workers who graft, not the office monkeys who are complaining about their shift cuts, they have probably never seen hours outside of 9-5 mon-fri. Its about time corus noticed the hard workers and rewarded them instead of paying over the odds for people to shine their backsides in the offices!”