British Steel CEO Ron Deelen today issued the following update:
“Coronavirus continues to have a significant impact on people and businesses across the world and here, at British Steel, we’re committed to protecting our people, customers, suppliers and communities throughout and beyond this pandemic.
“To safeguard the health and wellbeing of our employees, and any other visitors to our sites, we continue to adhere to guidance from the UK Government and Public Health England. I’m proud, but not surprised, to say our people have embraced the many new measures we’ve put in place which has enabled us to maintain safe operations and keep supplying our customers with the products they require.
“Three weeks ago we paused production at our Special Profiles business in Skinningrove – furloughing around 300 employees as we adjusted to the difficult market conditions. While the market remains challenging, we now have increased confidence in our ability to navigate our way through this situation and produce the requisite volumes of Special Profiles. I’m therefore pleased to confirm these employees are returning to work and production will resume at Skinningrove on Monday 27 April. A small number of employees who were furloughed at our Lisburn service centre will also shortly return to work on a phased basis.
“I’d like to welcome back our employees to Skinningrove and Lisburn and thank them for their understanding during a difficult period for themselves and their families. I’d also like to thank employees who’ve ensured we can continue safe manufacturing operations at our other locations. With the appropriate safeguards in place, we’re maintaining production at our Scunthorpe and Teesside Beam Mill sites, including our two blast furnaces. The ongoing support of the Government, our customers and our suppliers is also greatly appreciated.
“We face many challenges in the weeks and months ahead, personally and professionally, and British Steel can play an important role in supporting economic recovery by protecting thousands of jobs and supplying the products and services our customers need.”