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The Northern Echo has helped put together a last-ditch package aimed atsaving the 160-year-old Teesside steel industry.

For the past two weeks, the paper has been campaigning to persuade Corus to review its decision to axe 6,000 jobs in the UK, including more than 1,000 on Teesside.

In a highly unusual move, The Northern Echo joined forces with rival localnewspapers – including the Evening Gazette – and radio stations to present a united front to Corus.

That led to thousands of coupons, signed by readers of the region’s papers, being handed over to union leaders before they travelled to London in a desperate bid to make Corus bosses change their minds.

The unions were also given a dossier of material published by The Northern Echo and other local newspapers.

Northern Echo editor Peter Barron said: “It is vital that Corusunderstands the strength of the message coming from the North-East andrealises that there is still time to turn back from a decision which willshatter many lives in the region.

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