Steel industry | Thyssen-Krupp: Reduction of steel jobs in North Rhine-Westphalia

Thyssen-Krupp Steel Europe's (TKSE) blast furnace 9 in Duisburg-Hamborn is scheduled to be shut down as early as the end of September of this year. This is according to works council sources. 250 jobs would be "irrevocably lost." The workforce would be distributed among the plant in northern Duisburg. "This is a clear signal from management about where things are headed." TKSE declined to comment on the relevant inquiry from "nd" or on "the ongoing negotiations and their content."

Just two years ago, the struggling giant TKSE routinely replaced the so-called bellless blast furnace closure in Blast Furnace 9 to ensure it continued to meet environmental and occupational safety requirements. Now, in just under two months, the replacement is scheduled to be completed.

One can only imagine what this means for the once mighty steel center of Duisburg, with plants in the north and south of the city, according to works council sources. "This is a death by installments. Things are getting increasingly grim, and what else is going on here hasn't been pleasant for a long time." The works council member reports attempts at intimidation and even "threats." He is being personally "attacked" by the employers for his commitment. He doesn't get any more specific than that.

Entire group becomes a restructuring case

The fact is that the entire group is not doing well. There's even talk of insolvency. However, this cannot be verified until the employers' side takes a position. "The figures released do not reflect the extent of TKSE's current situation." IG Metall expressed a similar view. It's already five past twelve. TKSE has become a restructuring case.

Just last week, TKSE commissioned a new plant in northern Duisburg costing approximately €800 million. According to a media report, it will soon begin supplying rolled slabs. This likely also marks the end of the long-established Hüttenwerke Krupp-Mannesmann (HKM) steelworks in southern Duisburg, in which TKSE holds a majority stake. If TKSE can produce slabs itself, the plant in Hüttenheim, which has long been up for sale, will become redundant.

At TKSE's Walsum plant, a few kilometers downstream from the Hamborn plant, a much-hyped direct reduction plant is currently being built on an area the size of 40 football fields. Starting in 2027, it is expected to replace blast furnace technology and produce 2.5 million tons of pig iron per year in a climate-friendly manner. The workforce will likely pay a high price for this.

In addition to zero wage increases, there are also plans to reduce working hours without compensating wages and forgo special payments such as capital-forming benefits or vacation and Christmas bonuses. Management aims to save €200 million per year to help finance the restructuring. The plans were revealed through a "poison list" identified by IG Metall. "We're supposed to pay with our wages, special payments, and future prospects," the works council member told "nd."

As a result, several hundred workers demonstrated in front of the plants in various cities in the Ruhr region on Tuesday. They also criticized the absence of Czech investor Daniel Kretinsky, who already owns shares in TKSE. Kretinsky's managers did not respond to press inquiries.

Works council and union want to increase pressure

Germany's largest steel company plans to cut up to 11,000 of the company's 27,000 jobs, and not just in Duisburg. 5,000 employees are to leave, and 6,000 are to be outsourced to other companies. Management is currently negotiating the specific details with IG Metall. More clarity could emerge by the end of this week. So far, the details have largely been negotiated behind closed doors. Now, the works council and IG Metall apparently want to increase the pressure on the employers.