MORE than 80 people are at risk of losing their job at Teesworks.

The job losses are a result of the work of the South Tees Site Company (STSC) being wound down as demolition works come to an end.

As of February 15, 81 positions were identified at risk of redundancy.

The Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has said that some people have already found alternative work. There have been ongoing consultations at the South Tees Site Company with trade union representatives from GMB and Community.

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The STSC was set up in 2015 by the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy to ensure the former Redcar Steelworks site was safe and remove hazards, however, this work will end by June.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “As the site is nearing the end of demolition, the need for a workforce that is there to keep the site safe and manage the assets is diminished as there will be no assets to manage.

“Engagement and consultation with unions has been ongoing for months to make sure those affected are supported as much as possible. Alternative work and jobs with local businesses are actively being advertised and pushed to those affected and I’m pleased to say some people have already found alternative work.

“We have taken the extra step of agreeing to protect the enhanced redundancy packages of staff affected, irrespective of whether or not they find work during this period. I want to thank the unions for the constructive way they have engaged with the process and fought to represent local workers to the best of their ability.”

Staff were told at a meeting with Julie Gilhespie, the chief executive of Tees Valley Combined Authority, in October last year that most of the STSC jobs would not exist as the site was repurposed. However, staff were assured that their jobs would not be at risk prior to Christmas 2021.

All staff received a one-to-one meeting and they were told that they could sign up for funded training and take time off to upskill. The Tees Valley Combined Authority Group has ringfenced all future job adverts for a week for those at risk of losing their job to see whether they would be suitable.

The DWP Rapid Response team has run sessions on employability skills for the workers and the National Career Service has facilitated a self-employment workshop.

Last week, three structures were demolished at the Teesworks site by controlled explosions. Junction houses 40 and 41 and the South Bank gas holder, the last major structure within the South Bank zone, were all destroyed. Thousands of new jobs are expected to be created in the area.