Ruins of Liberty Steel: How Luxembourg is looking for a way out of the social catastrophe in Dudelange
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On 7 May 2025, the final blow to Liberty Steel's Dudelange plant was sounded - the Tosyali Group officially refused to buy it out. This came as a shock to the 150 employees who had been living for months in anticipation of a new phase: job security, a stable project and a sustainable industrial future. Instead, they faced emptiness and futility.
The story of the plant's collapse is a chain of failures: from the forced sale of the company by ArcelorMittal to Liberty Group at the request of the European Commission, to the collapse of Liberty Steel itself, the subsequent bankruptcy and the failed asset transfer process. At each stage, employees were promised protection, but each time they were left empty-handed.
Immediately after the news of Tosyali's exit, the OGBL and LCGB unions sought an urgent meeting with Ministers Lex Delles and Georges Mischo. The negotiations showed that it would not be possible to find a new buyer in the near future - the procedure is too complex and requires long preparation.
In response, the government, together with trade unions, the employment agency ADEM and the business federation FEDIL, organised a Job Day held on 20 June at the Chamber of Commerce. More than 30 employers met with a hundred factory workers. The aim was to make it easier to find a new job and to inform employers about available state support schemes for hiring injured workers.
The main question remains: will there be real employment? Without concrete results - signed contracts and stable positions - this action risks remaining comforting but fruitless.
Trade unions have ensured that eligible workers can take advantage of early retirement schemes. This is one of the few tools that actually work in such crisis cases.
In the meantime, a systemic question arose: how could this happen - and how could it not happen again? The authorities pledged to hold an inter-ministerial meeting with trade unions to assess the situation and consider changes in legislation. Special attention was paid to weaknesses: ineffective employment assistance, gaps in bankruptcy law and lack of cross-border social protection mechanisms.
