“You have to open your eyes, the ArcelorMittal group is rolling the French state in flour”declares Gaëtan Lecocq, secretary general CGT of ArcelorMittal Dunkirk, on Franceinfo on Tuesday, May 6, at the exit of a meeting between Marc Ferracci, the Minister of Industry and Energy, and the ArcelorMittal unions.
The union representative hammers his concern in the face of the guidance of the steel giant: “They want to relocate their production outside Europe, mainly in India and Brazil.” This accusation comes when the group announced, at the end of April, the abolition of more than 600 positions in France, a social plan which causes a lively opposition.
Gaëtan Lecocq greets a possible awakening of the public authorities, while remaining cautious: “I have the impression that, finally, the state services wake up. But we, what we want is not supporting employees in a PSE (job safeguard plan), what we want is that the 600 employees remain.” A general assembly of the world’s number two steel is scheduled for Tuesday in Luxembourg at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, an event scrutinized by French unions and actors in the file.
-While Julien Gokel, a socialist deputy for the North, suggests putting the Dunkirk site under guardianship, the CGT advocates partial or total nationalization. “This is not an option for the government”deplores Gaëtan Lecocq, before adding: “The French steel industry is like electricity, if we have no electricity, we do not operate our factories. If we have no steel, it’s the same. It’s a question of national sovereignty.” The unionist recalls the current context of international tensions: “If you want to wage war, what are we going to do? Are we going to do carton tanks and plastic guns?”
Gaëtan Lecocq also denounces the absence of commitments from the executive. “There is nothing concrete”regrets the trade unionist, evoking the conditionality of public aid paid to the maintenance of employment: “For years, ArcelorMittal has received hundreds of millions of euros in grants and public aid without consideration. It is a state scandal because today, we will end up with dry layoffs if we do nothing. We are not going to be done”he warns.
The CGT called for a mobilization on May 13 in front of the group’s website in Saint-Denis. In parallel, Gaëtan Lecocq presss the Minister of Industry to go to the field: “He is committed to coming in a few months. This is not a question of a few months, but a question of weeks. ArcelorMittal is pressing the accelerator. If we do nothing, he will shoot us in the foot. Next time, he will finish us. He will finish the French steel.”
