Protests in Bremen: Stop of green steel production indignantly unions!

Protests in Bremen: Stop of green steel production indignantly unions!

Bremen, Deutschland - in Bremen is a lot going on today: Numerous demonstrators gather in front of the administrative building of the Arcelormittal Bremen steel mill. The occasion? Protest against yesterday's decisions of the company that affected the renovation into a more environmentally friendly, "green" steel production. IG Metall and the works council called for the rally, and Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte (SPD) is expected as a guest speaker. After all, production is shut down during the protest to set an example.

The plans of ArcelorMittal to change the steelworks in Bremen and Eisenhüttenstadt in an environmentally friendly manner have stalled. Originally, the production of coal on hydrogen from renewable energies was to be converted. However, the decision to set these measures not only means the loss of state funding, but is also classified by IG Metall as "irresponsible" and "strategically short -sighted". "This is not without consequences for the future of the Bremen work," warns a spokesman for the union. According to ZDF, the situation has been so serious that planned company meetings were canceled and instead the rally moves up instead of intensive discussions.

criticism of ArcelorMittal

ARCELORMITAL is particularly violent in the crossfire of criticism because it does not want to continue the plans for decarbonization. The reasons for this are the difficult market situation and the lack of economy of CO2-reduced steel production. In 2024, the traffic light government offered generous grants in billions in billions to support the conversion of the industry. For the changeover to Bremen, 1.3 billion euros in grants were planned, while the overall project was designed to EUR 2.5 billion. The Bremen Senate is disappointed with this development, after all, 250 million euros have already been provided for the renovation.

Left boss Ines Schwerdtner sees the decision as a "alarm signal for the industrial location of Germany" and calls for more public control in the steel sector. This discussion is not only reflected in Bremen. The topic of "green steel" is hotly debated in the entire industry, because the steel industry is one of the largest CO2 emitters in Germany.

innovations in the steel sector

The protests in Bremen are not only a sign against the current decisions of ArcelorMittal, but also a wake -up call for a promising industrial policy in Germany. Hopes for a green turning point believed here at first glance could be supplemented by innovative approaches such as Easymelt. It is only to be hoped that all these voices will be heard.