Rebuilding a worker-friendly steel sector in 2010

GLOBAL: As the steel sector recovers from the financial crisis the International Metalworkers’ Federation will be working with affiliates in 2010 to build a more sustainable and worker-friendly industry.

"For many workers in the steel industry last year was a bad one, as companies tried to translate a fall in demand into a fall in wages, conditions and job security," writes Rob Johnston, IMF Executive Director for Industrial and TNC Policies, in a statement on the outlook for the steel sector in 2010.

"This year will be critical for the union movement within the steel industry. We will have plenty of opportunities to reshape the industry but must not let the industry benchmark be the lowest standards rather than the highest," he writes.

The statement outlines MF’s strategy in the steel sector in 2010, which includes:

• Organising workers as jobs return to the industry
• Strengthening collective bargaining through union networks
• Tackling precarious work to stop the exploitation of workers and increased health and safety risks
• Actively seeking to address climate change issues in the industry

A copy of the IMF statement on the outlook for the steel sector in 2010 can be viewed here.