A Teesside MP has welcomed moves to make it harder for firms to lay off staff without first consulting them.

Ashok Kumar, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, welcomed the news that the Government has committed the UK to implementing European Union directives on staff redundancies.

Under the regulations, companies would have to consult their workforce before taking a final decision to sack them. The measures will be phased in over three years.

Mr Kumar said: "This is a welcome development, and one that was demanded here on Teesside when Corus announced large-scale redundancies earlier this year. It is totally unacceptable that employers should keep workers completely ignorant of important announcements which could affect their welfare.

"Indeed, we have had cases where workers have first heard of a plant closure through the local media."