The trade union of metallurgists in Kryvyi Rih recalled its existence

The primary organization of the Trade Union of Workers of the Metallurgical and Mining Industry of Ukraine (PO PMGU) PJSC "Kryvyi Rih Mining and Metallurgical Plant" ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih "wrote a letter to the administration of the enterprise, which fell into the hands of Interfax journalists.

The letter notes that at present, an extremely unstable and critical situation has developed in the labor collectives of the company's structural divisions associated with the administration's policy of revising organizational structures and staffing tables, transferring a number of functions to contractors or transferring personnel along with functions to outsourcing, the publication reported. ...

The union reminded ArcelorMittal's management that since entering the plant in 2005, they have laid off about 27,000 people from the plant and continue to systematically cut staff.

According to the trade union, the Indian owner, in an attempt to cut costs, took the wrong position, which is relevant for civilized countries, but not for Ukraine, where wage costs do not even reach 10 percent of the cost of steel production.

“The share of labor costs in the cost of production is only about 10 percent, which is far from the European norm,” the letter says.

The trade union committee of the Kryvyi Rih Metallurgical Plant demanded that the Indian leadership stop dismissals "in the absence of scientifically grounded labor standards", and if this requirement is ignored, it threatens to hold protest actions "against the owner's policy directed against the working man."

Earlier, the trade union "ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih" advocated an increase in wages to workers from October 1, 2015 by 8 percent. The plant administration ignored these demands.

According to the results of 8 months of 2015, in terms of the average monthly salary, PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih ranks second among the largest metallurgical enterprises in Ukraine. During this period, the average monthly salary of the company's employees amounted to UAH 7,911.8 (approximately USD 340).

It should be noted that the trade union organization of metallurgists in Krivoy Rog is one of the most active in the mining and metallurgical complex of Ukraine. If there are trade unions at other metallurgical plants in the country, then what they do and how they protect workers' rights is unknown.