ArcelorMittal’s plant in Fos-sur-Mer, southern France will be idled due to excessive emission levels. The stoppage has been ordered by the labour inspection authority and no date for a restart has yet been decided, Kallanish learns from the company.
“Faced with a disproportionate decision, we are working to avoid a plant shutdown, while reinforcing our commitment to health and safety in the workplace, and ensuring the delivery of products to our customers. On Friday, we were notified by the labour inspectorate of a decision to temporarily shut down part of the Fos site: the steel shop department. The shutdown of this department gradually implies the shutdown of all other units on the site,” a company spokesperson says.
The company is implementing an action plan to reduce employee exposure and is in talks with the labour inspectorate and unions. The management believes the decision to suspend the steel mill’s operations “and consequently those of the entire site is totally unfounded and disproportionate. In conjunction with the relevant administrative authorities, we are taking all legal steps to suspend this decision as quickly as possible,” the firm comments.
The shutdown has started and will take several weeks. Should ArcelorMittal’s appeal fail, the supply chain and sales teams are already taking advantage of the period of preparation for the shutdown to plan appropriate solutions for each of the customers concerned.
Natalia Capra France
