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ClimateNE & Climate Change Schools Project support the move to a low-carbon, resilient economy and help businesses avoid risk and realise commercial opportunities. Posts by Jen Atkinson, Krista McKinzey and Harriet Thew » IF GORDON Brown is serious about helping business, now is the time for him to show his mettle.
With the future of Tees Valley's proud steelmaking industry hanging by a thread, the Government should follow the lead of other states in helping key industries in distress.
Corus's Dutch plants have received millions of euros in wage support packages - 70% of them underwritten by their government. It's vital that Brown and Mandelson act quickly and decisively to keep Britain's steelmaking competitive; words will be seen as an empty gesture.
A temporary wage subsidy would give Corus some breathing space to secure additional clients, while an interest-free loan would help to plug cashflow.
The measures would also allow Corus more time to find a new buyer if, as expected, Marcegaglia and Dongkuk pull out of the proposed takeover deal.
Free traders may argue that Corus is not too big to fail and under normal circumstances they would be right. But these are exceptional times and unusual measures are needed to preserve an industry that pumps millions of pounds into the local economy and adds value to a whole host of other sectors.
Local cafes that service the 2,000-strong Corus workforce could be in jeopardy if the plant closes. Pubs and clubs in Redcar will lose vital trade from laid-off workers who can't afford their daily pint.
In their heyday, Teesside steel plants employed some 40,000 workers and while this number has been vastly reduced, steelmaking is still one of the region's major employers.
If Corus comes through this - with or without Government support - it should review its business strategy which, from the outside, looks flawed.
Any company which depends on one source - one consortium in Corus's case - is putting itself at risk. Corus bosses will be keen to cast the net much wider and develop alternative revenue streams to avoid future recurrence of this unhappy scenario.
It could be too late to do anything about it, but a genuine attempt must be made. Over to you Messrs Brown and Mandelson.
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