On 25 September, ArcelorMittal told the government of Ukraine that it cannot restart operations at the plant safely and sustainably. The plant was hit by four missile strikes in five weeks, the most recent on 21 September. The strikes killed five employees and injured 17, one of whom remains in critical condition. There was also significant damage to production facilities.

The announcement follows a year of cuts. In February, the company announced it would close the LMZ foundry and mechanical plant. In March, the blooming mill was shut down permanently, and a restructuring of rolling operations was announced that would eliminate around 1,000 jobs.

ArcelorMittal has itself recognized the resilience of the Kryvyi Rih workforce. The company says it will focus on preserving the infrastructure so that production can restart when peace returns. But IndustriALL's Ukrainian affiliate warns that Ukraine's labour market is in a critical state and qualified workers are extremely hard to find. If the workforce is let go, there will be no one left to restart the plant.

The union is demanding:

No dismissals. Workers should be placed on paid downtime at two-thirds of their base salary. This would keep the workforce intact and give families the income they need to survive.

Rebuild what was destroyed. The company should repair the facilities and equipment damaged by the strikes and assess how operations can resume.

IndustriALL and industriAll Europe send their deepest condolences to the families of the workers who were killed and wish a full recovery to those injured.

IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie says:

"The workers of Kryvyi Rih kept this plant alive through more than four years of war. Five of them have lost their lives in four recent strikes. ArcelorMittal praised their courage and must now honour that courage by keeping every worker employed and paid. Preserving the infrastructure is not enough. Without these workers there will be no restart."

IndustriAll Europe General Secretary Judith Kirton-Darling says:

“The workers of Kryvyi Rih have shown extraordinary courage, keeping the plant and their country going through years of war. Five have paid the heaviest price of all with their lives. ArcelorMittal must stand by those who remain, keeping them employed and paid during the suspension. Their skills and experience will be indispensable to Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, and to its future in Europe. Protecting the infrastructure is vital, but without the workers there can be no recovery.”

Joint letter to ArcelorMittal: EN