Fight Back New Service is circulating the following statement from the Workers Party of Belgium (PTB).

The announcement of the elimination of 1,300 jobs at ArcelorMittal in Liège is a tragedy for the region. Seven out of twelve production lines will close down. After the announcement of the closure of the warm phase of steel production one year ago, Mittal now choses to reduce also the cold line production facilities to near to nothing. This concretely threatens the loss of 10,000 jobs, among direct and indirect jobs, for the whole of the Liège region.

For the Workers' Party of Belgium (PTB), it is still possible to save the steel industry with all its jobs. “It is not just a possibility, it is a necessity”, explains Damien Robert, municipal councilor for the PTB at Seraing. “The politicians who pretend to support the steel workers should now take an innovative decision. Mittal doesn't want to sell? No problem. The government of the Walloon Region can decree to put the company under public ownership for reasons of social emergency and of regional and national economic interest.”

The PTB has a strong presence in the municipality of Seraing (Liège) where ArcelorMittal is located. The party obtained five seats in the municipal council in last October's local elections, largely due to the vote of the steel workers. Over the years the PTB has also developed an intense work inside the factory, and has actively shown its solidarity with the strikers.

The PTB defends the public take-over of the entire company for the symbolic price of one euro. This is the only guarantee to maintain the jobs in the steel industry, as a structural industrial enterprise in the region. Mittal has received more than enough presents thanks to the notional interests (a unique system in Belgium, allowing companies to diminish taxes on the basis of virtual interests on virtual loans). Thanks to this most questionable system, for the years 2010 through 2012, Arcelor Mittal Finance paid 0 euro in taxes in Belgium! Thus there is no need to pay whatever compensation for the take-over, according to the PTB.

The PTB warns against the French example, where part of the socialist government also spoke of the buy-out of ArcelorMittal in Florange for one symbolic euro for several months on end, to finally avoid taking any concrete steps on the pretext of not disposing of the judiciary means to do so.

PTB spokesman Raoul Hedebouw also criticizes Belgian prime minister Elio De Rupo: “It is inacceptable to hear Mr. Di Rupo speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos and praise the Belgian system of notional interests, that would supposedly promote investments and job creation, only to see him, a few minutes later, write a Tweet message of solidarity with the workers of ArcelorMittal.”

The PTB appeals on the workers and their trade unions to remain extremely vigilant about the double talk and the promises that go not beyond mere words and do not lead to the only viable decision to save the jobs and the region: the public take-over of ArcelorMittal without compensation.

#Belgium #factoryOccupation #WorkersPartyOfBelgium #Capitalism #ArcelorMittal #Europe

Chicago IL – 50 workers at Serious Materials, the window factory formerly known as Republic Windows and Doors, reported to work the morning of Feb. 23 only to be told that today would be their last day of work. Workers talked throughout the day and at 2:30 p.m. they came off the line and told the boss that they were not leaving the factory. They would not let the factory be stripped of its machines and sold piece by piece while they were out of a job.

Armando Robles, a Serious worker and veteran of the Republic Windows battle who is inside the plant said, “ We learned today that they were going to close the plant. We workers decided not to let them. We are going to be here until they give us what we need.“This is the same factory with the same union and some of the same workers that inspired the country in 2008 when they occupied the Republic Windows and Doors factory to demand the pay and benefits due to them when that company closed abruptly.

The workers are represented by UE Local 1110. Leah Fried, UE organizer said, “Our only demand is that we be given a chance to save these jobs. What we want is time – time to find a buyer or even to make it possible for the workers to buy and run the factory themselves. We want time to save these jobs.”

Supporters continue to gather outside the plant, located at 1333 N Hickory Avenue in Chicago.

Breaking news (11:50 AM EST):

At around 1:30 am Friday 2/24 workers at the Serious Materials factory marched out of the plant chanting, “Si se pudo!” “Yes we did”. After occupying the plant since 2:30pm Thursday the union workers with UE 1110 reached an agreement that will keep the plant keep running for an additional 90 days. In addition the Union will try to help find a buyer for this factory in order to keep manufacturing jobs in Chicago. Other details of the agreement will be released in the future. This clearly shows that by fighting back workers can win.

#ChicagoIL #RepublicWindowsAndDoors #factoryOccupation #SeriousMaterials

Chicago, IL – Sunday night, Dec. 7 in Chicago brought more good news to the workers occupying the Republic Windows and Glass factory. The enormous outpouring of support was instantly noticed in the front room outside the worker-guarded doors by the wall to wall notes of solidarity from the hundreds of people who have come by. The workers described how happy they were to get Reverend Jesse Jackson’s support earlier in the day and the cheers that happened in the cafeteria when they heard about President-elect Obama’s statement of support for their cause. They then set their sights on getting Governor Blagojevich to weigh in on the demands for the over $1 million owed these 200 workers.

There was talk that Monday would bring a proposal to the Chicago City Council to take its money out of Bank of America until the Republic workers’ demands are met. The meeting is still set for Monday at 4:00 with Republic representatives, Bank of America and the workers.

The Tuesday rally planned has been expanded to an even larger rally on Wednesday, Dec 10 at noon at Bank of America headquarters 231 S LaSalle Avenue in Chicago.

The workers are noticeably more organized and more confident as they do filmed interviews just outside the worker secured doors. Passersby come in with small bakery boxes of cupcakes at the same time that restaurant owners carry in carloads of prepared food. A cardboard donation box sits on a chair by the door and later SEIU Local 73 called in their support with a check of $2000.

Vice-president of UE Local 1110, Melvin Macklin, outside briefly for a cigarette in the sub-zero weather explained that inside the plant is still an estimated $3 to 5 million of inventory and that they do not believe that the company has been honest with them about its finances. He laughs with the other workers; Ron Bender with 14 years at the plant, Luis Moreno also with 14 years and Erik Ramos with 15 and a half years that they will not let the company change names, declare bankruptcy or any other trick to get out of their responsibilities. When asked how he felt when he got the news earlier this week, he answered “Shafted!” When asked what message he was sending he said, “Fight back!”

#ChicagoIL #ImmigrantRights #News #ChicanoLatino #RepublicWindowsAndDoors #UELocal1110 #takeover #factoryOccupation