 The company blamed the closure on global competition |
A delegation of South Yorkshire MPs and council leaders is to meet with the head of a steel company which has announced 670 job losses in Sheffield. Finnish giant Outokumpu said on Tuesday it would close its coil products plant and reduce production at its melt shop.
Rotherham MP Denis MacShane (Lab) is among those meeting chief executive Juha Rantanen in London on Thursday.
"I will be urging him to ensure any shutdown is as painless as possible for local communities," said Mr MacShane.
He said he would press for assurances that the company will consult fully with unions and the local authorities in Rotherham and Sheffield in a bid to minimise the impact of the cuts on the South Yorkshire workforce.
Outokumpu said on Tuesday it was switching production from Sheffield to Finland as it cuts capacity to cope with an oversupply of steel on global markets.
The coil products site is expected to close by the end of the first quarter in 2006.
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