In the wake of the announcement by the Luxembourg-headquartered global steel giant ArcelorMittal's management to close half of its cold phase in Lige, labor unions called a strike on Thursday, January 24. Rejecting the closure of seven out of twelve cold lines and the loss of 1,300 jobs, about 500 workers held a protest on Friday morning in Brussels, where there was a crisis meeting between the Belgian federal government, the Walloon government (ArcelorMittal Lige is based in the southern Belgian region of Wallonia) and union representatives.
Several options were on the table at the meeting, including the nationalization of the site and the finding of a private buyer. Belgian prime minister, Elio di Rupo, said after the meeting that a task force will be set up at the initiative of the Walloon government to try to save the steel production operations at Lige. Unions will take part, as well as local authorities, "if necessary," the prime minister said.
General meetings between the unions and ArcelorMittal management are scheduled for Monday, January 28. Until then, all production sites in Lige are on strike.