Report: former SSI workers' continuing struggle

Tyne Tees
Teesside
Redcar
SSI
Tuesday 13 September 2016 at 6:07am

Former SSI steelworks, Redcar. Credit: ITV News

Many former SSI steel workers and their families are struggling financially, despite finding alternative employment, according to a new report.

The SSI Task Force, the organisation set up to help former steel workers in Redcar find employment, also highlights a number of successes as we approach the first anniversary of the plant's closure.

Around 3,000 people lost their jobs, both at the plant and in the supply chain.

The Task Force was handed £46m of government funding to provide support.

Some of this money went towards redundancy payments, and the rest was to be used to provide training support and other help.

The report notes that many families are continuing to struggle, even when the main breadwinner has found a new job, because the wages tend to be so much lower.

A key passage reads:

"Anecdotal reports suggest that many people who have found alternative employment have needed to take a significant salary reduction in comparison to former SSI wage levels...Many families have faced, and continue to be faced with, severe financial difficulties and have needed to access the Safety Net Fund to ensure daily household expenses and bills can be met."

The report does also stress more positive outcomes, such as the following:

Around 9 in 10 (1,990) of the 2,150 SSI and other workers who made an initial claim for benefits have since ended that claim*
Over 500 former SSI workers have not made any benefit claim to date
821 new jobs have been created through the SSI Fund
410 jobs have been safeguarded through the SSI Fund
50 former SSI Apprentices were found training or employment
418 people have been given initial individual advice as a first step to starting their own business and 172 new businesses have been started
15,510 training courses have been approved
2988 people received advice and support from Jobcentre Plus and Support Hub

“The closure of SSI was a devastating event for workers, their families and the wider community. Overnight, 170 years of steel making came to an end which resulted in mass unemployment, financial hardship and a shared sense of grief at the loss of our heritage. Since that time many people have worked hard to rebuild careers, lives and create new opportunities. The Task Force felt it was important to reflect on the progress made in the last 12 months. The report highlights some of the individual success stories of inspirational people who have been able to find new work, set up their own business and train for a new career. But we also recognise there is still much more to be done to rebuild our community and economy so that we can secure a sustainable future for our local area in the long term.”