THE £750m Wembley Stadium project was thrown into fresh turmoil last night as 200 steel workers lost their jobs - only weeks after seeing them saved.

The former Cleveland Bridge workers were laid off last month as the Darlington firm pulled out of the development.

But days later they were reinstated by industry labour provider Fast Track, which offered them jobs on behalf of Hollandia, the Dutch firm that took over steel work from Cleveland Bridge.

Last night though, the main contractor, Multiplex, issued a statement saying Hollandia had sacked the workers because of "unacceptable additional demands" to the contracts they agreed with Fast Track.

Sources close the project said the workers wanted a new redundancy policy to apply to their contracts.

They were also said to have called for changes to working hours and longer weekend breaks, allowing many workers to return to their North-East homes.

The statement said: "Hollandia and Fast Track advised Multiplex that, in breaching the new contractual agreement, the workers left them in an untenable position, with absolutely no option but to end their employment."

Multiplex said it was uncertain how quickly Hollandia would be able to get a new steel erection workforce in place.

The development is the latest in a series of disputes to have blighted the Wembley project and raises serious doubts over whether it will be completed on time.

Multiplex said the stadium was still on schedule to open in time for the 2006 FA Cup final.

Publicly, the Football Association and Wembley National Stadium Ltd put on a brave face last night, saying they had assurances from Multiplex that the venue would be finished on time.

The GMB and Amicus unions vowed to fight for their workers and are seeking a meeting between North-East and national officers