Algeria/ArcelorMittal resumes work after a week of strike

Annaba (Algeria) - The subcontracting personal of ArcellorMittal ended Tuesday a week of wildcat strike, to their final hiring by ArcelorMittal, after satisfaction of their claims, said here Tuesday the union.

# They declared themselves "satisfied", said the general secretary of ArcelorMittal enterprise’s union, Smail Kouadria.

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# The 540 personnel, who observed a picket line at steel I and II of the steel complex in El Hadjar, got management to integrate 200 of them immediately, instead of a hundred which was originally committed to hire Sunday.

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# Management and the social partner of ArcelorMittal Annaba negotiated until late Monday night, according to Mr. Kouadria.

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# The CEO of the steel group of Annaba, Vincent Gouic, also agreed to include another 290 temporary workers early June, according to the union. The remaining 150 employees will be integrated in January 2012, he added.

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# Moreover, Mr. Le Gouic also agreed to release 205 million euros to rehabilitate the coking plant, closed since October 2009, and renovate outdated facilities called hot-dependent part of the complex and which require partial repair.

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# The complex of El Hadjar has already been affected in 2010 by three general strikes in January, lasting nine days, and in June before the court orders the return to work and finally in October.

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# The CEO of ArcelorMittal Annaba, Vincent Gouic, had pledged to resolve the problem with the sub-contractors personal situation.

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# The ArcelorMittal plant, employing 6,000 employees, is a former state-owned Algerian bought at 70% in October 2001 by the Indian Ispat, of Mittal group.

# It produced 750,000 tons of steel in 2009, according to management.