Swiss steelmaker Stahl Gerlafingen plans to make another 120 employees redundant, Kallanish learns from Swiss unions Syna and Unia.
The rebar mill already laid off a number of people when it closed the production line for merchant bar and sections in spring (see Kallanish 3 May 2024). The unions underline the mill’s important role for the country’s circular economy as a scrap-based producer. They call on policymakers to enforce requirements for the construction industry to use low-emission steels. They also criticise construction authorities for confining themselves to mere recommendations so far.
Stahl Gerlafingen is owned by Italy’s Beltrame group. Following the announcement, its head Antonio Beltrame was interviewed at the weekend by leading daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ), which has been cited by numerous Swiss media outlets.
In the interview, he confirms the redundancy plans but maintains he wants to hold on to Stahl Gerlafingen. He blames politics for not acting against the unfavourable production conditions in Switzerland, mainly high power prices. Last year, peaking power prices caused massive losses for Gerlafingen, while at the same time prices dropped in France and Italy, he notes.
Plans for political support for Stahl Gerlafingen were repeatedly brought forward in recent months by several political factions in Switzerland at a national and regional level, but have not led to measures.
Christian Koehl Germany
