Multiplex denies blame for Cleveland's woes

Multiplex has denied responsibility for redundancies at Cleveland Bridge in its ongoing dispute with the firm.

Chairman and managing director Noel Henderson this week wrote to trade unions denying the link between Cleveland’s decision to end work at Wembley and job losses at the steel firm’s Darlington site.

In a letter to Amicus and GMB leaders, Henderson said: “CBUK has chosen to walk away from the Wembley project and we have no confidence that this is a decision which it will even consider reversing. Equally, it is not a decision which we believe has anything to do with the disagreements between us.”

Cleveland today repeated earlier claims that its decision to exit the contract was prompted by its faltering relationship with Multiplex.

A spokeswoman said: “The situation is that Cleveland Bridge would not have taken action if Multiplex had not forced them.”

Henderson said Multiplex had not yet received Cleveland's claim against it. “Even today we have not received from CBUK formal notice of legal action, let alone received details of what it is that they are claiming and why. I can only assume that they have made their decisions on Wembley/Darlington and are only now thinking about how they go about explaining this legally.”