Production of most pig iron and all steel products at ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (AMKR) facility in Ukraine has been halted due to worker protests that began on Wednesday May 16.
The protests were started by railroad department workers and spread to all other departments on May 16. Protesters have demanded an increase to monthly salaries to ?,?1,000 ($1,181) and to assurances that all rolling stock meets health and safety standards. Unrest among workers was also triggered by an accident during the commissioning of blast furnace No9 on April 29, causing a liquid pig iron emission. No staff were injured by the incident. On May 16, locomotive operators, assistant operators and shunting operators refused to drive the locomotives on the routes, "putting the operation of the whole plant at risk," AMKR said in its official press release....