ArcelorMittal employees mobilize in Paris to "stop" the social plan

By The New Obs with AFP

Published on May 13, 2025 at 10:19 a.m. , updated on May 13, 2025 at 10:35 a.m.

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ArcelorMittal employees from all over France are expected in the Paris region this Tuesday, May 13, to put pressure on the French management of the steelmaker , which is planning to cut more than 600 jobs and is beginning discussions on the outlines of this social plan, which the CGT wants to "stop" .

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Gaëtan Lecocq, of the CGT union at ArcelorMittal Dunkirk, the most threatened site, had called during the May ^1st protests to take advantage of the central social and economic committee (CSE) convened this Tuesday, the first round of negotiations, to mobilize against a coming "industrial and social tsunami."

"We totally reject this PSE [job protection plan], " he told AFP, wishing to "do everything to stop the process," while employees are expected from Dunkirk (Nord), but also Florange (Moselle), Fos-sur-Mer (Bouches-du-Rhône), Basse Indre (Loire-Atlantique) and Luxembourg.

The plight of the metalworkers has mobilized political opinion, from the left, which is calling – like the CGT – for the nationalization of French blast furnaces, to former Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, who said that "everything" must be done to save ArcelorMittal in Dunkirk, without ruling out a "temporary" and "last resort" nationalization if the company does not fulfill its obligations.

At the heart of maintaining a steel industry in France is whether or not the group's decarbonization projects will continue. At the end of 2024, ArcelorMittal suspended its final investment decision—amounting to €1.8 billion, including more than €800 million in state aid promised—to decarbonize its Dunkirk blast furnaces, arguing that steel produced in Europe is uncompetitive.

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