Posted on 15 May 2025
French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed that the government will not pursue the nationalisation of ArcelorMittal.
This is in response to the strikes initiated by unions on 13 May, to protest the recent announcement of 600 job cuts by the steelmaker in France. The CGT and Luxembourg OGBL unions conducted a strike at ArcelorMittal’s French headquarters in Saint-Denis, Paris. Their demands include the nationalisation of the steelmaker and other energy companies to ensure a reduction in energy costs.
“Steel, like electricity, is strategic and irreplaceable and the nationalisation of ArcelorMittal is imperative,” the CGT unions say in a note obtained by Kallanish. The Dunkirk and Fos sites will only be minimally impacted by the job cuts.
“We will save both Dunkirk and Fos … not by nationalising but by having a European policy that protects our steel,” Macron said in a televised interview. A source close to the steelmaker confirms there is no possibility of nationalisation.
According to a union source, the closure of several ArcelorMittal’s sites announced this and last year would not only threaten thousands of jobs, but the country's ability to successfully complete major industrial projects, such as the new nuclear programme and future wind turbine ventures.
“Future nuclear reactors require a considerable amount of steel, both for construction and for components such as pipes, valves, and rotors for Arabelle Solutions' turbines. Industeel, a subsidiary of ArcelorMittal, supplies the ingots for the reactor vessel and the forgings, supplying Framatome's Creusot Forge. The closure of ArcelorMittal sites would jeopardise the supply of these essential materials, compromising the execution of strategic projects. Maintaining a robust steel industry is imperative to guarantee national sovereignty,” the unions note.
ArcelorMittal France plans to reduce its workforce in the northern region. The layoffs will affect seven locations including Dunkirk, Florange, Basse-Indre, Mardyck, Mouzon, Desvres, and Montataire. The steelmaker informed the CGT unions that this situation stems from a decrease in the competitiveness of European steelmakers, attributed to the surge in steel production from China entering the European market (see Kallanish 25 April).
Source:Kallanish
