Luxembourg trade union LCGB has expressed its concerns for the future of the Dudelange steel plant, following accusations of infringement of competition rules against steel producers Arcelor Mittal and Salzgitter.
Despite the LCGB's initial approval of the proposed acquisition of the Dudelange site by Salzgitter AG, the trade union has voiced it concerns over relations between this large-scale European steelmaker and Arcelor Mittal, both of whom were the subject of an investigation in 2017 on possible infringements of European competition rules.
These worries emerged following the sudden bid for the Liège-Dudelange site submitted today by another buyer: Liberty Steel from the Liberty House group (originating from India), which took over the sites of Ostrava, Piombino, Galati and Skopje. A delay has meanwhile been granted to Arcelor Mittal to announce the potential buyer. Nevertheless, the LCGB is worried about a possible offer which could allocate a completely different future to the steel site of Dudelange.
The trade union believes the origin of the financial funds of this company to be very obscure and its purchasing strategy not purely focused on the steel sector as it appears to be for Salzgitter. The LCGB has quickly realised the seriousness of the situation and has directly contacted the competent national and European political authorities to explain their concerns and the risks associated with this transfer.
Today, the LCGB once again urged national political actors as well as Arcelor Mittal executives not to give priority to what they have described as a purely financial player, which could have an extremely detrimental effect for the future of the 300 jobs of the Dudelange site in the years to come.
