Closure child poverty link
A UNION has issued a stark warning about more children falling into poverty should the Corus Teesside Cast Products plant close.
The future of 2,000 jobs at TCP have been at risk since a consortium of international buyers walked out on an agreement with the site in May.
Ahead of Saturday’s Save Our Steel March, which will see thousands of people take to the streets of Redcar in support of the steel industry, the Community union says Teesside faces child poverty rates above the national average - a figure which could rise further should the plant be mothballed.
According to the Campaign to End Child Poverty, as many as three in four Tees Valley children are classed as experiencing severe financial hardship either in a low income family or a non-working family.
Community Union national executive council member Richard Green said: “This weekend’s march to Save our Steel should really focus minds on what’s at stake here. With the plight of children becoming a serious problem in our community, it’s time to recognise that the best answer to the threat of children living in poverty is to ensure that their parents have access to sustainable long-term employment.
“Teesside Cast Products is one of the main employers in the area and part of the backbone of British manufacturing. Support for TCP now will cost the Government far less over the long-term than trying to rebuild the local economy if TCP is forced to close.”
The march will set off at 2pm from Redcar’s Majuba Road car park on Saturday.
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