“There is no such thing as a provision within the contract that I’ve to maintain employment at a sure stage each single day of the 5 years,” Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves informed CBC’s Rosemary Barton on Sunday
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OTTAWA — He’ll take the federal government to court docket.
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In a televised interview aired Sunday on CBC’s Rosemary Barton Stay, Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves stated he’s ready to satisfy the federal authorities in a courtroom to make sure his plan to place as many as 500 steelworkers in Hamilton and Nanticoke out of labor.
“There is no such thing as a provision within the contract that I’ve to maintain employment at a sure stage each single day of the 5 years,” Goncalves stated through the interview, stressing that he wouldn’t have accepted the take care of the federal authorities beneath such phrases.
When Cleveland-Cliffs acquired Stelco in 2024 from U.S. Metal, agreements made beneath the Funding Canada Act prohibit such deep job cuts.
A letter to Business Minister Mélanie Joly from Stelco officers denied that the layoffs — which Stelco blames on financial pressure brought on by U.S. tariffs — violate the settlement, which they declare incorporates no language requiring employment ranges to be stored above sure thresholds.
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Upset Stelco staff ‘being performed,’ CEO maintains
Earlier this month, Joly demanded the corporate discover a solution to save these 500 jobs or face authorized motion.
As effectively, Prime Minister Mark Carney stated final week that Canada will use all of its powers to make sure Cleveland-Cliffs lives as much as the spirit of that settlement.
If the suitable provide was made, Goncalves stated, he’d take into account promoting Stelco — including that staff talking out towards the choice to chop their jobs are “being performed.”
“I imagine that having the Prime Minister of Canada, an individual that I’ve by no means met, saying that I betrayed my workers — this isn’t true,” he stated.
“This was Prime Minister Carney repeating what Minister Joly stated with out considering … take note of what (Canada-U.S. Commerce Minister Dominic) LeBlanc is doing, don’t take note of the rhetoric of individuals which are simply enjoying politics.”
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CEO helps metal tariffs towards Canada
In the identical interview, Goncalves informed Barton he agrees with strikes by the Donald Trump White Home to impose 50% levies towards Canadian metal.
“I’m in favour of tariffs towards all of the international locations in the whole world that dump metal into america,” he stated.
“As a result of President Trump applied in america the Part 232 metal tariffs based mostly on nationwide safety, we lastly have the American metal business again. We are actually the third-largest producing in metal nation on the planet (sic,) after we have been fourth for a protracted, very long time.”
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He added that he’s in favour of negotiating separate offers between america and Canada, saying he’s in favour of “Fortress North America,” a phrase broadly utilized by Ontario Premier Doug Ford in his pleas with American leaders to not edge out Canadian business.
“The state of affairs between Canada and america is beginning to be resolved,” he stated.
“The primary day I used to be proudly owning Stelco, I ended promoting at low value into america … however I don’t management something past Stelco.”
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
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