REAL LIVES Steel AFTER T
It’s a year since SSI shut down its furnace. We pick up on what’s happened
The rusting hulk of the SSI steelworks dominates the skyline during the short drive out of Redcar towards the mouth of the River Tees.
At the spit of land that separates the river from the sea, where the fishermen and birdwatchers gather, the blast furnace blends with the mass of industrial structures that stretch along the river’s banks.
Smoke rises from the chimneys on the opposite side and a ship passes through the deep channel of the Tees out into the North Sea, as a small flight of cormorants, perched nearby on half-rotted jetty posts, keep their wings spread to dry in the autumn sun. Rounds of golf are being played on the course between the steelworks and the beach, while repairs and maintenance are carried out on the vessels in the riverside boatyard.
Only the steelworks, which closed a year ago with the loss of 3,000 jobs after owners SSI went into liquidation, appear still.
Since the closure Teeside has struggled with the loss of an industry that had taken place in the region for 170 years. Despite recovery for some, many former steelworkers are unemployed or have taken on less well paid work, while others have lost their homes or had to move away.
“I’ve seen grown men cry at the stress. Some of my mates couldn’t afford to pay their mortgages and had to give up their houses. It hasn’t been too bad for me, but it’s still been a struggle. Now people are just getting on. You can’t cry about it forever,” said ex-steel worker Mark Hansen.
Mark, 38, was having a pint in The Stockton pub on Redcar High Street. Since losing his job of 13 years last year – on the same day his father died – Mark has taken a forklift driving course and a security guard course, but is yet to find employment. He has a four-month-old son at home and has been prevented from claiming benefits – because his girlfriend works at the local hospital.
“There was a report that 90 per cent of the people who went on the dole after it closed are not signing on anymore, but a lot of that’s because they’re only allowed to claim for six months if their partners are in work. When my girlfriend was on maternity pay, (the Job Centre) expected us to live on £600 a month,” said Mark.
“There’s nothing round here except pound shops now. I won’t move from Redcar, but I know people who have had to work away to support their families. It’s been difficult for the whole town.”
Outside the pub, and illustrating Mark’s point, is a closed down Marks and Spencer. The building is to let and has signs reading “Outlet Store: Everything £5 and under” in the windows.
Around the corner is Beales department store, which has become the latest big closure to hit the town centre. The empty shopfronts and bargain stores reflect the fact that last year unemployment in the Redcar constituency spiked by 16.2 per cent – the second highest increase in England during 2015.
Soon after SSI’s liquidation was announced in October 2015,
the
government allocated a training and support package of around £50m for the
14 uniteWORKS Autumn 2016
steelworkers. According to the latest figures, 1,231 jobs have been created or safeguarded through the SSI fund, while 172 new businesses and start-ups have been supported.
Former steel worker Lee Bullock, 28, is one of those who has benefited from the support. Lee set up his own drone photography business and has secured aerial filming work for a golf course, a caravan park and an estate agent. He is also involved with a project to capture images of melting ice sheets in Greenland.
Lee said, “It was a blow when I lost my job at SSI, but now I’m very positive about the future.”
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