Solidarity with steelworkers at Liberty Steel Ostrava
Labourstat
The situation for steelworkers at Liberty Steel Ostrava is critical. Management announced mass layoffs on 23 July. Around five thousand people currently work in the company. The layoffs could affect up to 2,600 people. The rest of the workforce have little information about their fate.
The shocking news came after Liberty Steel stopped paying Liberty Ostrava workers' wages in May already due to insolvency proceedings. The company being insolvent, uncertainty prevails as to the payment of notice periods and severance packages for dismissed workers. On 29 July, the Labour Office of the Czech Republic launched an extraordinary support programme including career guidance, retraining and wage subsidies to help Liberty Ostrava workers threatened by job loss.
Czech Metalworkers OS KOVO, IndustriAll Europe and IndustriALL Global Union have been active for months to find a better outcome for workers in Ostrava without success. It’s time for the Czech government, Liberty's creditors and the European Commission to take their responsibilities towards the workforce seriously.
