Corus union refuses lay off talks

STEEL union leaders have refused to talk with Corus over proposals to lay off thousands of employees on half-pay in the new year.

Instead the move to implement a guaranteed working week in line with the Corus sister plant in Ijmuiden, Holland, has been referred to national negotiators at the Community, GMB and Unite unions.

But, as reported, the new year at the 2,000-acre Scunthorpe site will see 1,000 steelworkers facing pay cuts through reduced shifts, taking effect as late as February 1, in some areas.

Graham Brooks, the deputy chairman of the Scunthorpe works multi-union committee, said: "Management has mooted the idea of implementing a guaranteed working week.

"But there has been no discussion or debate on our side as we have referred the proposals to our national officers.

Mr Brooks said he and his colleagues were aware that as from today 6,400 Corus employees would be temporarily laid off.

"But we have yet to see how this will impact on us," he added.

The Dutch Government has agreed to give Corus a share in a 200-million Euro budget to subsidise the wages of 1,100 employees among the 10,000-strong workforce at Ijmuiden,

The money would be spread among 6,400 workers over a six-week period starting today.

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