AROUND 1,000 jobs are to be created by the new owner of the Teesside steel plant mothballed with the redundancy of more than 800 workers last year.
Thai giant Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI) said the Teesside Cast Products (TCP) plant it bought for £320m in March would employ more workers than ever when it is returned to full production over the next year.
It had promised to bring new life to the Redcar company left struggling to survive after an international consortium pulled out halfway through a 10-year supply deal two years ago. And yesterday’s announcement was hailed as a lifeline for Teesside’s embattled 150-year-old steel industry.
Michael Leahy, leader of the Community trade union, said: “This is fantastic news for the people of Teesside and a tribute to all those who worked tirelessly to keep the plant open.
“Teesside has some of the best-trained and highly-skilled people in the industry and today’s announcement creates a great platform for the future.”
Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Teesside can look forward to large-scale steel production once again, producing 3.6 million tonnes of steel in the first year. That’s something for us all to celebrate.”
