15,000 Steelworkers March to EU Headquarters in Brussels

Posted on 10 November 2016 by Ken Zino

AutoInformed.com on EU SteelworkersBrussels was awash with 15,000 marching steelworkers yesterday who were trying to protect the steel industry in Europe. Carrying banners that said, “No Europe Without Steel,” the IndustriALL-Europe-led protest called on the European Commission to take concrete measures to guarantee jobs and safeguard the future of the steel industry. During the past seven years, more than 80,000 steelworkers jobs were lost in the European steel industry.

“Steel is of key importance for European industry. Not only does the sector provide employment for more than 330,000 workers, but it also plays an essential role in the first stage of the industrial value chain and in the manufacturing of many industrial products,” said Luc Triangle, General Secretary of IndustriALL Europe.

“We must secure the future of European steel and this includes safeguarding against the import of steel at dumping prices, the presence of strong trade-defense instruments and an emissions trading system that supports jobs and the environment,” Triangle concluded.

Many IndustriALL Global Union affiliates in Belgium and beyond also attended the march, which went through the heart of the European Union quarter of the Belgian capital. IndustriALL’s President Jörg Hofmann joined Luc Triangle at the head of the protest, representing both IndustriALL and German affiliate IG Metall, where he is also president.

“We do not want protectionism – we are very competitive when it comes to quality and productivity. But we want fair competition – and no undercutting through steel dumping,” said Luc Triangle.

Demands of Steelworkers

  1. No to steel dumping, yes to fair trade!
  2. An emissions trading system that supports the environment and jobs
  3. Effective trade defense instruments
  4. A proactive industrial policy to support the steel industry and steelworkers
  5. More and better jobs for steelworkers
  6. Increasing and modernizing Europe’s steel capacities

The global challenges to the steel industry will be of key debate at IndustriALL’s base metals world conference to be held in Duisburg, Germany from 21-23 November.2016

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About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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