Following the announcement that Corus will close its Teesside factory, which employs 2600 workers, Unite, Britain's biggest union has vowed to fight the closure and is calling on the government to deliver an urgent rescue package for the plant.

Unite's Joint General Secretary, Derek Simpson, said: "This is absolutely devastating news for the men and women who work at Teesside. This is a dark day for British manufacturing. Unite will do everything possible to prevent this closure from going ahead. The government must now act to save Teesside as decisively as it acted to save the banks last year. The plant needs urgent financial support to secure a future for the workers and prevent its closure."

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The Corus steel plant is set to be mothballed in the New Year, with the loss of 1,700 jobs.

(CD/KMcA)