NEGOTIATIONS between Corus and a consortium which pulled a vital steel contract, putting 3,000 jobs at risk, will happen it was claimed yesterday.

In May, the four-strong international consortium, including Marcegaglia, of Italy, and Dongkuk, of Korea, tore up a ten-year “offtake” agreement, signed in 2004, to take nearly 78 per cent of the output from Corus Teesside Cast Products(TCP) plant in Redcar, east Cleveland.

Despite repeated attempts, talks between Corus and the consortium to find a compromise that could save the plant have yet to start.

But yesterday, Redcar MP Vera Baird claimed Corus has told her a meeting “will happen.”

It follows separate discussions between BIS Minister Pat McFadden, Antonio Marcegaglia and Corus chief Kirby Adams.

Mrs Baird said she had confirmation from Corus that Mr Adams is prepared not to press legal proceedings at this time, a condition on talks that Marcegaglia had asked for.

She said: “Pat has done a good job reinforcing our message that it doesn’t matter who the good guys and the bad guys are in this situation, we need to get willingness to renegotiate from both sides.”

She added: “These are experienced men of business who understand that they can either come to an understanding or have a catastrophic impact on the economy of Teesside and on thousands of Teessiders.”

No date has been set for the meeting, but Mrs Baird was hoping to talk to Mr Adams with a view to an early date.

As reported in yesterday’s Northern Echo, a spokesman for the Community union, which represents most of the workers at the plant, said: “We finally have agreement that the two parties will sit down to try to find a solution.”