Frankfurt – At Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann (HKM), the conversion to climate-neutral steel production is in danger of failing due to lack of financing. That would be the end of Germany’s second largest steel works, warns IG Metall. She sees thousands of jobs at risk. The trade union calls on the shareholders of HKM to clearly commit to the future of the traditional steelworks and to invest in its conversion now.
Jürgen Kerner, as executive board member of IG Metall responsible for the steel industry and deputy chairman of the supervisory board of Thyssenkrupp AG: “In almost all steel companies along the blast furnace route, the transformation towards green steel production has now been set in motion with specific investment decisions. A concrete concept is also on the table for HKM. What is missing is the financing commitment from the shareholders. However, it must not be the case that the transformation of the company fails because of their hesitation and procrastination. Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG and Salzgitter AG as the largest shareholders now have to take responsibility.”
Jörg Hofmann, First Chairman of IG Metall: “It is now very specifically about the future of the colleagues at HKM. But there is much more at stake: what is at stake is industrial value creation and thus the future of good jobs in Germany. If we do not succeed in transforming the basic industry into the climate-neutral age and thereby strengthening closed value creation networks in Germany, this will have dramatic effects on the entire industrial location – far beyond the steel industry. An out of the HKM would be a fatal signal. That is why the shareholders of HKM must now live up to their responsibility and invest in the future.”
The French pipe manufacturer Vallourec SA intends to give up its 20 percent stake in HKM and withdraw from Germany. Against this background, the two remaining shareholders Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG (tkSE, 50 percent) and Salzgitter AG (30 percent) are struggling to find a solution for the future of HKM.
The respective general or group works council chairmen of the affected companies Tekin Nasikkol (tkSE) and Hasan Cakir (Salzgitter) as well as their deputy supervisory board chairmen Detlef Wetzel (tkSE) and Hans-Jürgen Urban (Salzgitter) expressly support the demand of IG Metall.
With a current production volume of 4.2 million tons of crude steel per year and a capacity of 5.6 million tons, HKM is Germany’s second largest steel works. 3,100 steelworkers are currently employed there.