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Swiss Steel must preserve jobs – Unia, the union

Steeltec AG, part of Swiss Steel, today announced the elimination of 130 positions. This shows once again that politics must urgently develop solutions to preserve the Swiss steel industry. Positive signals are coming today from the Economics Committee of the Council of States. The company must therefore refrain from any redundancies at this time.

Steeltec AG wants to cut a total of 130 jobs at its steelworks in Emmenbrücke (LU). The company announced today the dismissal of 80 employees.

Policy measures for the steel industry

This announced restructuring shows how worrying the situation in the Swiss steel industry is. Along with Stahl Gerlafingen, the Emmenbrücke plant is the last steelworks in Switzerland, and both are facing economic difficulties, particularly due to the high cost of electricity.

But the strong pressure exerted by workers and public opinion in the case of Gerlafingen led Parliament to urgently consider several motions which would make it possible to improve the conditions of steel production in Switzerland.

Council of States committee approves motions for steel industry

The Economic Commission of the Council of States (CER-E) has just approved several motions aimed at saving the Swiss steel industry. During the winter session, the Council of States will have to follow its committee in order to correctly lay the groundwork for the future.

These advances are also the result of the strong mobilization of Stahl Gerlafingen employees in recent weeks.

Refusing layoffs is essential

In this situation, it is fundamental that steel mills do not reduce their production capacities and do not destroy their know-how. Steeltec must forgo layoffs and wait for political decisions that must be made by the end of the year. If necessary, the company must resort to partial unemployment to preserve jobs.

This year, the Federal Council explicitly extended the maximum duration of compensation in the event of partial unemployment to 18 months, taking into account energy-intensive industry.


Swiss

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