On Tuesday, February 10, about 1,000 ArcelorMittal steel workers from across Europe demonstrated in Brussels against layoffs at the company.
The steel workers insist that world steel giant ArcelorMittal should not offer dividends to shareholders while it plans to cut thousands of jobs.
In addition, the trade unions said that ArcelorMittal has outlined details of a plan to reduce its workforce in France by 1,400 via voluntary early retirements.
In December, 2008, ArcelorMittal announced a plan to cut 9,000 jobs in order to reduce costs by $1 billion, in the context of the sharp fall in steel demand. During the winter months ArcelorMittal has already shut down plants in France, Germany and Belgium.