Massive protests in Bremen: IG Metall raises the alarm after stopping green steel production!

Massive protests in Bremen: IG Metall raises the alarm after stopping green steel production!

Bremen, Deutschland - It is bubbling in Bremen! Today at 11:30 a.m., IG Metall, together with the works council of the Bremen Stahlwerk in ArcelorMittal, called for a rally in front of the administration building. The aim is to protest against the company's decision to stop switching to environmentally friendly steel production. This has far -reaching consequences, not only for the local economy, but also for the climate goals in Germany.

What is behind this decision? ArcelorMittal has announced that the transformation from coal to hydrogen from renewable energies in Bremen and Eisenhüttenstadt cannot be continued. This change is a central measure in the fight against the high CO2 emission of the steel industry, one of the largest issuers in Germany. IG Metall criticizes the step as "irresponsible" and "strategically short -sighted". They fear that the future of the Bremen work is seriously threatened, since ArcelorMittal does not even want to use the state funding provided in the amount of 1.3 billion euros that were intended for this transformation.

The consequences of the decision

Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte (SPD) will appear as a guest speaker at the rally and emphasizes the importance of the steel industry for the economy in Bremen and in other regions of Germany. The Bremen Senate is disappointed and annoyed after it provided 250 million euros for the conversion of the steel mill. The planned setup of a direct reduction system, which should initially work with natural gas and later with green hydrogen, also becomes obsolete by this stop.

In the past, there have been attempts to get to the manufacture of bioethanol from exhaust gases through innovative projects. The European Investment Bank 2020 awarded a loan of 75 million euros to ArcelorMittal in Belgium to develop new facilities for the production of "green" ethanol. Ethanol can be used as fuel or in chemical processes and is intended to help reduce the production of CO2 emissions.

The reaction of employee representatives

The employee representatives are outraged by the withdrawal of the conversion plans. In the run -up to planned company meetings, you are now forced to call for a rally in order to draw attention to the importance of steel production for the region. IG Metall fears that the stop of environmentally friendly steel production will not only endanger jobs, but also suffer the company's credibility.

With this decision by ArcelorMittal it becomes clear that the challenges in the steel industry on the market and economy are a very difficult situation. The Federal Government had decided last year to support a billion dollar support to support industry in the transformation and to reduce emissions. It is all the more surprising that ArcelorMittal makes such a far-reaching decision and does not use this financial aid, as the

The upcoming rally will raise public awareness of this critical situation in the steel industry and show how important a sustainable solution is for the future.