Steelworkers struggles
UK: Jeremy Corbyn and unions demand turn to economic protectionism
By Julie Hyland, 30 October 2015
Through their protectionist policies, the Labour and trade union bureaucracy and their allies are working to divide workers and prevent a unified class struggle against the profit system.
Major shareholder predicts closure of Australian steel plant
By Oscar Grenfell, 22 October 2015
The comments underscore that the attack on the Port Kembla workers is part of a global restructuring of the steel industry.
Thousands of job losses in UK steel industry
By Danny Richardson and Robert Stevens, 21 October 2015
The main steel unions have repeated their customary pro-business objections, centring on condemning cheap steel imports from China and high taxes on UK steel manufacturers.
Ontario court allows U.S. Steel to halt retiree health benefits, suspend pension contributions
By Carl Bronski, 16 October 2015
U.S. Steel Canada has been given leave to halt health benefits to 20,600 retirees and their dependents and to suspend millions of dollars in pension contributions and local taxes.
New Zealand union collaborates in cuts to mining and steel jobs
By Tom Peters, 16 October 2015
As part of its restructuring, Solid Energy has announced the closure of its Huntly East Mine.
ATI remains intransigent against steelworkers despite financial losses
By Evan Winters, 15 October 2015
Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI) reported a larger projected third-quarter loss as it continues its lockout of 2,200 steelworkers in Pennsylvania and other states.
Unions push sweeping cuts to Australian steel workers’ jobs and conditions
By Oscar Grenfell, 9 October 2015
The deal hatched by the unions and BlueScope involves hundreds of sackings and a wage freeze.
Locked out Allegheny Technologies workers to lose health care November 30
By Evan Winters, 8 October 2015
ATI’s decision to cancel health coverage is part of the company’s drive to break the workers, who are now nearing the end of their eighth week on the picket lines.
Allegheny Technologies claims most production restarted at locked out mills
By Evan Winters and Samuel Davidson, 5 October 2015
In the face of ATI’s brazen actions in hiring scab labor to resume production, the United Steelworkers continues to isolate and smother locked out workers.
Allegheny Technologies lockout of 2,200 steelworkers enters seventh week
By Evan Winters and Samuel Davidson, 26 September 2015
The United Steelworkers of America continues to isolate 2,200 steelworkers who have been locked out by ATI.
Steelworkers in Detroit call for common fight with autoworkers
By a reporting team, 26 September 2015
Workers in both the auto and steel industries are facing attacks on jobs, wages, health care benefits, and pensions.
A thousand jobs to go at UK Tata Steel
By Danny Richardson, 24 September 2015
The role of the trade unions at Tata Steel has been to demobilise any offensive by steel workers against the cuts.
Unions push protectionism while pledging to impose steel job cuts at Wollongong rally
By Zac Hambides, 22 September 2015
At a “Save Our Steel” rally the unions sought to channel the anger over job losses into nationalist calls for governments to subsidise local steel producers.
Lockout of US steelworkers at ATI enters sixth week
By Evan Winters, 21 September 2015
In the sixth week of the lockout, the company maintains a hard line and continues its efforts to operate with scab labor from Strom Engineering.
Locked out Allegheny Technologies steelworkers continue fight
By Evan Winters, 19 September 2015
The lockout of 2,200 steelworkers at Allegheny Technologies Inc. (ATI) at 12 mills in six states has entered its sixth week.
As Allegheny Technologies lockout enters fifth week
ArcelorMittal walks out of negotiations with USW
By Evan Winters, 14 September 2015
While steel companies ATI, US Steel, and ArcelorMittal maintain a hard line in mediation and contract negotiations, the USW is continuing to isolate steelworkers.
US Steel maintaining hard line in contract talks with steelworkers
By Shannon Jones, 12 September 2015
The United Steelworkers union has refused to wage a struggle in the face of demands by steelmakers US Steel and ArcelorMittal for draconian cuts to health care benefits.
Allegheny Technologies Inc. lockout enters fourth week
By Evan Winters, 7 September 2015
As the USW pushes for a concessions contract in federal mediation, ATI is seeking to continue production with strikebreakers contracted from Strom Engineering.
BlueScope Steel workers speak with the WSWS
By our reporters, 3 September 2015
BlueScope Steel workers from the company’s Port Kembla plant, south of Sydney spoke with the World Socialist Web Site reporters at an early morning mass meeting in Wollongong yesterday . The Australian Workers Union (AWU) and other unions have responded to the management’s threat to shut the plant, Australia’s largest steel making plant, by promising to assist the company slash up to 500 jobs as part of $200 million cost-cutting restructure.
Australian steel unions enforce destruction of jobs and conditions
By Richard Phillips, 3 September 2015
The unions have pledged to defend BlueScope Steel’s profits and provide the company with $200 million in cost-cutting measures.
US steelworkers union blocks fight against wage and benefit cuts
By Jerry White, 31 August 2015
The United Steelworkers (USW) union has ordered workers at ArcelorMittal and US Steel to stay on the job as the giant corporations prepare an all-out war against workers.
Locked-out ATI steelworker injured by van carrying scab workers
By our reporters, 29 August 2015
Locked out steelworker Jim Dietz was injured and taken to a local hospital after being hit on the picket line by a van carrying strikebreakers driven by ATI security.
Union collaborates in attacks on New Zealand Steel workers
By Tom Peters, 29 August 2015
BlueScope Steel is threatening to shut down its Glenbrook steel plant in New Zealand and axe over 1,000 jobs.
“They want to take away what generations struggled to achieve”
2,200 steelworkers still locked out by Allegheny Technologies
By Evan Winters, 27 August 2015
Allegheny Technologies is using the sharp drop in steel prices, after years of high profits, to justify its ruthless drive to cut wages and benefits.
Australia: BlueScope Steel demands mass job cuts under threat of plant closure
By Terry Cook, 26 August 2015
The Australian Workers Union has immediately signalled that it will help impose BlueScope Steel’s job-cutting measures.
Thousands of US steelworkers rally in advance of contract expiration
By Shannon Jones, 22 August 2015
Workers at US Steel and ArcelorMittal demonstrated across the US this week in opposition to concession demands.
US steelworkers, autoworkers demand wage hikes in new contracts
By Jerry White, 20 August 2015
Steelworkers are protesting against wage freezes and benefit cuts as autoworkers vote for strike action.
Pittsburgh-based steel manufacturer locks out 2,200 workers
By Evan Winters, 17 August 2015
Allegheny Technologies Incorporated is demanding increased out-of-pocket health care costs, more flexible work rules and the elimination of defined-benefit pensions for new hires.
US contract deadlines in auto and steel
For a united offensive of autoworkers and steelworkers against the corporate-government assault
By Jerry White, 17 August 2015
The convergence of these contract expirations poses the potential and the necessity for a joint struggle against the corporate-government attack on the working class.
Tata Steel to sack 720 workers in England
By Danny Richardson, 23 July 2015
The plan to shut down three steel bar manufacturing plants is part of a six-year long business restructuring strategy.
Mass layoffs at northwest Indiana steel mills
By Jeff Lusanne, 28 January 2015
In response to plunging oil prices and falling steel demand worldwide, producers ArcelorMittal and US Steel have announced hundreds of layoffs in East Chicago, Indiana.
Australian steel unions impose BlueScope job destruction deal
By Richard Phillips, 7 October 2011
After weeks of backroom negotiations with BlueScope management and the Labor government, the steel unions pushed through a job-cutting deal at a Wollongong mass meeting that gives the company everything it wanted.
Reject the union sell-out at BlueScope Steel
Statement Socialist Equality Party (Australia), 4 October 2011
The SEP urges BlueScope workers to take a stand on behalf of the entire working class, and especially the younger generation.
Australian steel unions finalise sell-out deal with BlueScope on jobs
By Mike Head, 28 September 2011
The Australian Workers Union and other steel industry unions have reached “in-principle” agreements to impose nearly 1,500 job cuts at BlueScope’s plants at Port Kembla and Hastings.
Australia: SEP holds meetings to fight BlueScope Steel sackings
By our reporters, 20 September 2011
The meetings made clear that the SEP is the only political party opposing the job cuts, against the Gillard government, which openly backs them, and the unions, which are blocking any resistance by workers.
Australia: Steel workers in Hastings kept in the dark as layoffs hit
By our correspondents, 17 September 2011
World Socialist Web Site reporters recently spoke with BlueScope workers in Hastings, as well as family members and friends of other workers.
Newcastle residents voice concern about BlueScope job losses
By our correspondents, 16 September 2011
The World Socialist Web Site spoke to working people in Newcastle about the impact of the 1999 closure of the city’s steel plant.
Australia: Lessons from the closure of the Newcastle steel plant
By Terry Cook, 16 September 2011
As soon as BlueScope Steel announced its job cutting plans last month, a well-oiled machine involving government, management and the unions swung into action.
Video: Australian steel and maritime workers denounce BlueScope job cuts
By our reporters, 10 September 2011
Workers in Port Kembla on the New South Wales south coast spoke with World Socialist Web Site reporters about the planned BlueScope retrenchments.
Australia: BlueScope job cuts begin in Hastings
By our reporters, 6 September 2011
The scaling down of BlueScope’s steel production next month is already having a major impact throughout Hastings and the local region.
Video: Hastings residents condemn Australian steel job cuts
By our reporters, 5 September 2011
Workers in Hastings spoke with World Socialist Web Site reporters about the planned destruction of BlueScope jobs.
Australian PM visits city facing devastating steel job losses
By Mike Head, 3 September 2011
While feigning solidarity with workers and their families affected by the BlueScope Steel job cuts, Prime Minister Gillard used a visit to Wollongong to reinforce her government’s support for the company’s decision.
Australia: Steel unions impose BlueScope job cuts
By Richard Phillips, 2 September 2011
The role of the trade unions in imposing BlueScope Steel’s axing 1,400 jobs was on display yesterday at a mass meeting of about 1,600 Port Kembla workers.
SEP (Australia) public meetings in Wollongong and Hastings
Fight axing of BlueScope steel jobs!
2 September 2011
Workers are not responsible for the failure of capitalism and must not be forced to pay.
Video: Youth discuss Australian steel job cuts
By our reporters, 1 September 2011
Students and youth in Wollongong spoke with World Socialist Web Site reporters about the planned destruction of BlueScope jobs.
Australian government, unions, business collaborate in job destruction
By Patrick O’Connor, 30 August 2011
This is the process that the unions want extended to the entire manufacturing sector—a never-ending onslaught on jobs and conditions to drive up productivity, and “orderly closures” where that is no longer possible.
Australia: Wollongong residents denounce BlueScope sackings
By Mike Head, 29 August 2011
The human and social impact will be enormous in Wollongong, where the steelworks has been the centrepiece of the local economy and employment prospects since it was built in 1928.
Steel unions appeal for deal to impose BlueScope sackings
By Mike Head, 27 August 2011
As they have done since the 1980s, the unions are working with management and the government to deliver an “orderly closure” of the steel plants, at the expense of working people.
Australian Labor “left” Doug Cameron, the mining companies and the steel layoffs
By Patrick O’Connor, 26 August 2011
BlueScope employees are being subjected to a conscious political one-two act, with right- and “left”-wing diversions being pulled out to cover over the real political issues they confront.
Video: Australian steel workers face deep job cuts
By our reporters, 26 August 2011
Steel workers and local residents in Wollongong and Port Kembla denounce BlueScope Steel’s decision to axe up to 1,400 workers’ jobs.
The Australian Workers Union, steel sackings and anti-China chauvinism
By Patrick O’Connor, 25 August 2011
In the name of protecting steel jobs by boosting the competitiveness of Australian steel at the expense of China, Howes is advocating an economic war that can only have devastating consequences for workers in Australia, China and internationally.
Oppose the BlueScope sackings! Fight for a socialist strategy to defend steel and manufacturing jobs
the Socialist Equality Party (Australia), 24 August 2011
The fight to defend jobs will only go forward through a rebellion against the trade union apparatuses, which are working might and main to subordinate workers to the dictates of the company and the Labor government.
Australian steel producer sacks 1,300 workers
By Patrick O’Connor, 22 August 2011
The assault on the steel workers’ jobs has been jointly coordinated by BlueScope executives, the trade union bureaucracy and the Labor government.
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