A Duisburg plant of the Thyssenkrupp steel group is about to be shut down. There is no interested party for the company. After all, there should be no layoffs. The 800 employees are offered new jobs. IG Metall also blames the corona pandemic.
The Duisburg heavy plate plant of the ailing steel group Thyssenkrupp with around 800 employees is about to be shut down. Sales talks with various interested parties have so far remained without results. "This increases the likelihood that the heavy plate division, as agreed in the collective agreement for the future of steel 20-30, will be closed by September 30, 2021 at the latest," said an employee information sheet.
The responsible bodies would make decisions in the coming weeks. Thyssenkrupp had announced that it would close the plant in September next year if no buyer can be found by the end of the year. There should be no layoffs. Among other things, those affected are to be offered jobs in other plants.
In the plant in the south of Duisburg, sheet steel is manufactured for the construction industry, shipbuilding and pipelines, among other things. The WAZ had previously reported on the unsuccessful sales negotiations.
IG Metall complained about a black day for the steel location NRW and the employees. "The Corona situation broke the neck of the sales process, which was carried out with great care," said NRW District Manager Knut Giesler. The current situation shows "how urgently state participation is for Thyssenkrupp's steel division".
Group boss Martina Merz recently confirmed that Thyssenkrupp is holding talks about state support with the federal government with the participation of the NRW state government. Thyssenkrupp had so far "not applied for any aid from the economic stabilization fund," she told the FAZ. It is also not yet foreseeable "whether we will need direct support". It is primarily about climate-neutral steel production.
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