Archbishop Joins Workers To Fight Corus Closure

The Archbishop of York in Campaign T-shirt at Corus, Redcar

The Archbishop met management, including Managing Director Jon Bolton; trade union representatives, led by trade union committee Chair Geoff Waterfield; and Redcar MP, Vera Baird, at the Corus Teesside Cast Products factory. The Archbishop has pledged to join the workforce in fighting the proposed closure.

Dr Sentamu said:

"The workers and managers here have fought a fantastic campaign over recent months to keep this plant open and to improve working practises. The news last week about mothballing the site was a hammer blow not only to the workers, but also their families and the local community.

"When I was Bishop of Birmingham, we had the collapse of Rover. I have seen the effect this can have on a community and when that last car rolled off the production line you knew it was never going to reopen. That is why we need to find a way to keep this Teesside factory open because once it is closed it is too late.

"People are angry and disappointed about the closure, especially when a few days earlier they had been told what a good job they were doing and to have a 'prosperous New Year'! People should be angry, but they should not give up. We need to channel that anger into the fight to keep open the factory. That is why I am joining the workers today in their fight. So long as the workers are fighting and the factory remains open I will be fighting alongside them. We will be fighting together.

"I have spoken to the Prime Minister's office this evening to make him aware of the strength of feeling locally. The Government needs to be supporting the manufacturing sector. We have seen much needed investment in the banking sector, but we also need to see that support for manufacturing. At Corus in Teesside they have had 100 apprentices in the last 3 years, one of the best apprentice schemes in the country, and we should continue to support helping young people into work.

"This country has lost a lot of skilled workers and we need to think about what happens when those skills are lost. We also need to ensure we build on things such as apprenticeships. A couple of weeks ago I was at Teesside University receiving a degree and it had just been voted the leading university in the country. That is what we should also be saying about this fantastic factory. We are turning into a nation of shopkeepers, selling other people's goods. We need to be proud of our manufacturing and what it does for our country.

"We need to look forward. We need to be positive and the only way we can do that is to secure the future of this plant. The Government, the owners, the employers and the workers need to sit down and find a way forward together. I will do everything I possibly can to help workers and their families at this difficult time."