Steel workers occupy ArcelorMittal plant

Reuters reported that workers at the idled ArcelorMittal steel plant in Florange occupied the site yesterday, seeking to put their plight on the political map ahead of a presidential election, where industrial decline is a central theme.

Some 200 workers invaded management offices at the factory in Florange, in the Moselle region close to Belgium and Germany, after ArcelorMittal announced last week it was prolonging the temporary shutdown of its two blast furnaces.

Unions had announced at the weekend their intention to take action and workers found the offices empty. They say they will stay in the plant indefinitely.

"Our deadline is May 6: the presidential elections," Jean-Marc Vecrin, a delegate for the CFDT union, told Reuters.

The plant’s two blast furnaces were shut in July and October 2011 in the face of weaker demand and workers fear that the longer they stay idled, the greater the chance the factory will be permanently closed.

Read related article ArcelorMittal extends plant closure here on Metal Supply.