Liberty Steel in the Czech Republic and trade unions reach an agreement

The management of the Ostrava Metallurgical Works "Liberty" signed an agreement with trade union activists on the future of the company. This applies to future investment, production and employment, but also extends the current collective agreement until 2023. The company's agreement with trade unions fixes, for example, a minimum annual steel production, the new owner is committed to maintaining employment and labor and social standards for all steel workers. It also specifies how the emission allowances will be regulated.

John Bolton, Managing Director of Liberty Steel Continental Europe, said: “We recognize the importance of the steel plant for the Ostrava region and the whole country, and we want to continue to develop and invest in steel production here. An important point is also the commitment to intensive negotiations for the purchase of the energy company TAMEH Czech, which supplies the steel mill with all the energy required for steel production, and which remained a joint venture between the original owner of the steel mill ArcelorMittal and the Polish energy holding Cerna Dvorakova. "

The agreement was concluded for more than a year, and negotiations between union officials and the new owner were initially intensified. For example, trade unionists feared that the sale of the Liberty Group would cause irreversible damage to the Ostrava Steel Works. But when they got a new owner, things looked much better.