Employee representatives and IG Metall are threatening long-term resistance and ‘creative anger’ in light of plans for job cuts at Thyssenkrupp Stahl. Employers say you have “staying power.”
The board has not presented a coherent concept and wants to stick to its reduction plans, said Knut Giesler, IG Metall’s district manager for North Rhine-Westphalia, after a works council conference of all steel locations with the board. “However, we do not negotiate layoffs or site closures for operational reasons.”
Heated conversations, loud boos
The employee representatives in Duisburg had previously spoken for hours with the board. The discussions were heated, according to an IG Metall spokesperson. Loud cheering came from the conference room.
The company announced on Monday that the number of jobs at Thyssenkrupp Stahl would shrink by 11,000 within six years. Of the current 27,000 jobs, 16,000 should remain.
Employee representatives announce “perseverance”.
If the board doesn’t back down from this, actions such as extended company meetings, vigils and demonstrations will take place, Giesler said. The employee representatives have lasting power. “The dispute will be a marathon. We will divide our forces well.” At the Kreuztal site in Siegerland, which will be closed, a large meeting is already planned for December 11, said the head of the works council there, Helmut Renk.
Producer for the entire country “systemically important”
The administration went far beyond the goal of necessary savings. “This is terrible news,” said Tekin Nasikkol, chairman of the works council of the Thyssenkrupp Group. As by far the largest German steel producer, Thyssenkrupp Stahl is of systemic importance for the entire country and must be preserved. Germany also needs an independent steel industry for its military capacity.
Nasikkol said he had also discussed this on Tuesday with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), who called him. Vigils have been held outside the main site in Duisburg for 128 days. A lot could happen there in the coming days, Giesler said.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
