Hundreds of Port Kembla steelworkers, weary from the night shift, were herded into rooms and given the news most had been expecting they were out of a job. They were passed a letter, penned by their corporate bosses, explaining BlueScope Steel was on the edge of disaster.

The reaction was subdued. Workers, many who spent their lives making steel, stood up, walked out and made the dreaded phone call to their families. For the rest of the day, a pall spread with the news that 1400 employees and contractors would be out of work within weeks.

For the Illawarra, the result was nothing short of disastrous, with 1100 jobs slashed.

The shockwaves were felt outside the steelworks. More than 330 contractors are out of work, with countless others in retail and hospitality set to feel the pain.

Many spent the day outside the Australian Workers Union's Wollongong headquarters, searching for information from officials or the press. Inside, union heavyweights thrashed out their response to what they consider the biggest manufacturing crisis since the Great Depression.

National Secretary of The Australian Workers' Union, Mr Paul Howes, spoke to the press after BlueScope Steel's announcement that 800 workers will be made redundant.

(Sourced from smh.com.au)