The Socialist government said on Friday it had won promises from ArcelorMittal to avoid forced redundancies and inject 180 million euros to develop the Florange plant, meaning it would no longer have to take over the site. Hollande came to office promising to create jobs and keep open the two furnaces at the site in northern France which ArcelorMittal says are not viable in a European steel sector suffering over-capacity. ArcelorMittal confirmed the details of the deal on Saturday, saying it would negotiate a voluntary redundancy deal with unions. Workers are angry the furnaces will remain idled rather than reopened and expressed doubt over ArcelorMittal’s promise to offer alternative posts or early retirement packages for the 630 workers affected. “We’re on a war footing,” Edouard Martin, head of union CFDT’s Florange chapter, told the commercial i
French unions rage at Hollande over Mittal deal
