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Teesside chemical industry needs government help

The government has been called on to intervene to help protect the chemical industry on Teesside. It follows a report by an industry expert for One North East, local councils and the North East Process Industry Cluster, (NEPIC).

According to the author of the report, Paul Hodges, the government must be prepared to help the sector survive an economic climate he describes as “at least as bad as the early ’80s.”

Mr Hodges said: “The issue the government is going to have to think about is what help it is going to give manufacturers to get them through. It if loses the process industries and chemical industries on Teesside there is going to be a big dent in jobs right down the chain.”

Signs that business on the giant Wilton site is slowing down have already started to show. The cracker plant at the centre of the complex, owned by Saudi group, Sabic has been closed for eight weeks for maintenance work due to a lull in demand. Invista’s textiles plant will shut with the loss of 300 jobs and there are question marks over Dow Chemicals’ sites and Petroplus oil refinery in Stockton.

The unions are also concerned. Regional officer of Unite, Bob Bolam said: “It’s like a pack of dominoes, if one of the chemical companies goes down, it can have an effect on the rest.”

The union backs the call for government help and has called a strategy meeting this weekend and is writing to local MPs for support.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .