ArcelorMittal signed the Lux2029 agreement on Friday afternoon with union partners, confirming 300 jobs are set to be phased out through re-assignment or early retirement over the next couple of years.
In recent weeks there had been unsettling rumours of up to 1,000 redundancies in Luxembourg at the steel giant, but these have been put to bed, said Jean Luc de Matteis from the OGBL trade union.
“This has always been the Luxembourg social model, allowing three social partners to negotiate from equal positions. This is proof that the model works, when the other side respects the social partners and is open to discussions. Sometimes these discussions are difficult but they are always held with the vision of helping the people, preserving the future of Luxembourg’s steel industry and keeping jobs. This was important for all of us and I think this agreement shows it was a balancing act between both things.”
ArcelorMittal has pledged to continue investing in its Luxembourgish sites, with up to 330 million euros until 2029. Yet more money will go into producing sheet piles in Belval, while there are plans afoot to create a cybersecurity centre and a “Maintenance Academy” training centre.
The agreement was meant to cover until 2030, but due to the difficulty in predicting the situation, it was agreed to reduce it by a year.
Numerous options exist to phase out around 300 jobs given the “surplus compared to the company’s current and future needs.” These include early retirement and pension measures, partial unemployment, voluntary departures, internal transfers, and natural attrition will be implemented. As part of the restructuring, a redeployment unit has been established to support these employees with the various options mentioned above.
