Concern is growing in Kryvy Rih, an industrial city about 350 kilometers south of Kyiv, as ArcelorMittal negotiates with the Ukrainian government over the possible closure of its steel complex. The company announced on September 25 that Russian bombardments had left it unable to maintain operations at the site. A strike four days earlier killed five workers and injured 17 others.
Workers leaving the sprawling plant on October 20 described an uncertain future. One said the factory was closing, while many in the city fear that thousands of employees could lose their jobs. The Luxembourg-headquartered company employs 16,000 people at the complex.
Closure would also affect workers’ exemption from military mobilization, which they receive because they work for a company considered strategic to the economy. Finding new jobs may prove difficult as Ukraine’s steel industry faces mounting pressure, including blocked Black Sea exports and attacks on logistics routes, according to the report.
Sources: Le Monde International.