Changing with the times - CORUS
In recent days the news programmes and newspapers have been full of the closing down (or “mothballing”according to the company) of the CORUS steelworks on Teeside and the loss potentially of 1600 jobs.
For the people there this is a disaster and not just fo those directly employed by CORUS I can imagine that there are several thousand others who will be adversly affected - contractors, local businesses and naturally the family members of all these people. Our hearts must go out to them but we should examine the reasons why they are facing an uncertain future.
CORUS tell us that the plant is having to be closed because of the drop off in demand for steel. Well the recession is worldwide and this, I suppose, is to be expected. They are only “mothbally”the plant because in the future, when demand picks up, they will be able to reopen. This is likely to happen but is no consolation for the locals at the moment. There is also the question of when this will happen and will the workforce still be there. Do CORUS expect these 1600 people and their dependants to just hang arround twiddling their thumbs?
Over the last few decades we have seen britain’s manufacturing base decimated as demand has changed and the emerging economies of the world have begun producing the same products at a fraction of the cost. What our government needs to do is to build up viable replacements and ideally do this before manufacturers close plants and not after. Not only would this provide the country with a broader economy but it would also generate a more educated and diverse workforce. The people of Teeside would now have a choice. Some indeed may lose out but if there was another major employer (or even a few), in a growth industry, in the area then they would now be reaping a bonanza of skilled, educated, hard working people.
The challnge for Teesiders now is to do that for themselves (the government certainly won’t!) - encourage other employers, with modern, less endangered businesses into the area. I hope that they succeed so that when CORUS come back they have to compete to get the workforce, not the other way around!
Amazing news everyone, Eileen just got a few months work with a dragons den company that sells that new turquoise beach towel, I expect free samples!