The LCGB and OGBL unions are already at work negotiating the three collective agreements with the management of the steel giant's various Luxembourg entities and defending the interests of some 3,460 employees. (Photo: Guy Wolff/Maison Moderne/Archives)

The LCGB and OGBL unions are already at work negotiating the three collective agreements with the management of the steel giant's various Luxembourg entities and defending the interests of some 3,460 employees. (Photo: Guy Wolff/Maison Moderne/Archives)

Before the end of the year, trade unions LCGB and OGBL will negotiate three collective agreements within the ArcelorMittal group. They will demand better recognition of the efforts made by employees since the beginning of the health crisis.

Coincidentally, the three collective agreements in force within the steel group ArcelorMittal in Luxembourg are due to expire by the end of the year. The LCGB and OGBL trade unions are already negotiating with the management of the steel giant's various Luxembourg entities to defend the interests of some 3,460 employees.

Negotiations have already begun at ArcelorMittal's European Logistics Centre in the Hahneboesch industrial zone, which is a central storage location for beams for the group's distribution network. At Bissen, a site that is to become one of the first carbon-neutral sites, the first meeting for the negotiation of the collective agreement took place last week. Finally, for the ArcelorMittal plants in Belval, Differdange, Dommeldange, Rodange and the administrative centre, which are covered by the same collective agreement, the first negotiations will take place on 11 October.

Despite rising energy prices, the unions intend to take advantage of ArcelorMittal's good results to improve the working conditions of employees at the various sites in the country. As a reminder, ArcelorMittal recorded a net profit of nearly $8bn in the first half of 2022, an increase of 27% compared to the first half of 2021. "Currently, the results are good, as is the economic situation in the steel sector," confirms Robert Fornieri, deputy secretary general of the LCGB union.

The same is true of the OGBL, where Stefano Araujo, central secretary for steel and mining, explains: "The group is doing very well. It has managed to find a way to continue producing by being very reactive and flexible on production according to energy prices. In addition, part of the costs have been passed on to the customers. The results for the year 2022 therefore look very good."

Remuneration, free time and disconnection

But the two unions also want to highlight the efforts and flexibility of ArcelorMittal's employees, contributing to the steel giant's results. "The group is undergoing a technological metamorphosis in order to succeed in its digital shift and its energy transition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The announcement of  shows the value of the Luxembourg model and its social dialogue. It is also a reflection of the commitment, flexibility and skills of the staff working on the production sites. Without the employees of the Luxembourg steel industry, the challenges of the group could never have been met", the two trade unionists pleaded.

The unions are going to fight to improve the pay conditions of ArcelorMittal employees, but not only that: "It is undoubtedly an effect of the health crisis, alongside the question of pay, salaries are giving more and more importance to the notion of reconciliation between private and professional life. Free time, respect for working hours and teleworking are elements that are becoming increasingly important in the demands of employees," Stefano Araujo emphasises, bearing in mind that a wage indexation was postponed last July.

ArcelorMittal's management insists that they want to negotiate constructively while respecting social dialogue. "By the end of 2022, management and staff delegations will enter into discussions on the collective agreements of the ArcelorMittal Luxembourg, ArcelorMittal Bissen and ArcelorMittal European Logistics Centre entities. The social dialogue within ArcelorMittal in Luxembourg is a process that takes place throughout the year in a spirit of responsibility. These discussions will be part of this desire for dialogue and constructive exchanges", commented the steel giant when asked about the subject by Delano’s sister publication Paperjam.

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.