20 October, 2009Lakshmi Mittal, owner of ArcelorMittal, praises flexible role of unions in responding to the global financial crisis.
CHINA: Lakshmi Mittal, owner of the steel giant ArcelorMittal, used the annual conference of the World Steel Association held on October 12 in Beijing, to praise trade unions for the part they had played in helping the company adapt to the recent global economic crisis.
Mr Mittal took the opportunity to thank steel employees, customers, shareholders and governments for the "flexibility and patience they have shown in enabling us to find solutions to surmount the crisis". Adding, "In particular the unions: who have realized the importance of flexibility to help chart a way through these difficult waters."
"This difficult year has served to demonstrate that the steel industry is now able to absorb some very large shocks. The situation would no doubt have been considerably worse had the industry not significantly restructured over the past decade," Mr Mittal said.
IMF general secretary Jyrki Raina met with Mr Mittal and General Management Board members of the company in September to discuss areas of strategic concern for steelworkers, such as climate change, trade policy and sustainability. Raina commented that, "It does not surprise me that the unions have been recognised in this way, the same could be said by many companies it's just that Mr Mittal is bold enough to say it, that's what sets this company apart."
In June 2008, IMF and ArcelorMittal signed a global agreement to improve health and standards throughout the company. Since then a joint company and union global committee on health and safety meets regularly to find ways for improvement at all sites around the world. The IMF is also continuing to negotiate with the company to look at expanding the agreement into an international framework agreement.