“Today is one of the darkest faced by the Teesside community. Steelmaking, for so long, has been the foundation for how our area has evolved. It has provided livelihoods for thousands of families over many generations and that remained the case even this morning.
“I know these words will be of little consolation to all those workers affected by the announcement today but my heart goes out to them and their families. It is absolutely devastating and I just wish that I was able to do more for them.
“The manner in which SSI have handled this crisis is shameful. On their website they have a list of their values as, amongst others: “honesty, respect, professionalism and transparency” – in the past few weeks all of those havebeen missing and the workforce have been completely failed.
“The £80m support package for those who have lost their jobs is welcome but requires some clarification. In particular, is the money above and beyond statutory redundancy that the Government is liable for following the company going into liquidation?
“I, along with my colleagues and Community Trade Union, continue to urge the Government to ensure intervene in terms of ensuring the site is mothballed in a safe and secure way otherwise there will be no chance for steelmaking to come back in the future.”