Contractors' jobs go at Corus plant

THE first confirmed redundancies among the 2,500-strong contract force on the Scunthorpe Corus steelworks will take effect next week.

The downturn in orders for the steelmaker will see 19 workers, including transport operators in the town's bloom and billet mill put on the dole.

The 19 redundant contractors are all employed by the Worksop-based firm of Seafield Logistics which has operated on the Scunthorpe site for more than 20 years.

It is understood that other logistics suppliers to Corus will follow their lead in cutting back jobs due to the slow-down in production caused by the global economic melt-down.

Mark Strong, the managing director of Seafield, confirmed the need for the services of the 44-staff on the site had reduced accordingly.

Mr Strong said: "A reduction in production at Corus has lowered the need for the contractor accordingly.

He added: "To compensate for the reduction in revenue Seafield is having to cut its costs significantly and part of this will take the form of redundancies.

"All potentially-affected employees have been informed.

"We are continuing to make every effort to explore new business opportunities.

"But redundancy has been confirmed as the only viable option after opportunities for redeployment were considered."

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