Job cuts: IG Metall threatens “creative anger” against steel job cuts

Employee representatives and IG Metall are threatening long-term resistance and “creative anger” in view of the job cuts at Thyssenkrupp Stahl. The board has not presented a coherent concept and wants to stick to its reduction plans, said the IG Metall district manager for North Rhine-Westphalia, Knut Giesler, after a works council conference of all steel locations with the board. “However, we do not negotiate redundancies or site closures for operational reasons.”

The employee representatives in Duisburg had previously discussed with the board for hours. The discussions were heated, said an IG Metall spokesman. Loud boos could be heard from the meeting 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 still be left.

Employee representatives announce “perseverance”.

If the board does not back down from this, there will be actions such as extended company meetings, vigils and demonstrations, said Giesler. The employee representatives have staying power. “The conflict will be a marathon. We will divide our forces well.” At the site in Kreuztal in Siegerland, which is to be closed, a large rally is already planned for December 11th, said the head of the works council there, Helmut Renk.

The board went far beyond the goal of necessary savings. “This is a horror message,” said Thyssenkrupp Group Works Council Chairman Tekin Nasikkol. As by far the largest German steel producer, Thyssenkrupp Stahl is systemically important for the entire country and must be preserved. Germany also needs an independent steel industry for its military capability.

Nasikkol said he also discussed this on Tuesday with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), who called him. Vigils have been going on in front of the most important location in Duisburg for 128 days. A lot could happen there in the next few days, said Giesler.