Czech Republic’s Steel Union, emphasizing that Czech steel companies have taken the Chinese coronavirus pandemic seriously from the beginning behaving as responsibly as possible because they cannot afford to lose employees in non-stop operations, said that closure of which could cost billions of crowns. Czech Republic’s Steel Union Chairman Daniel Urban said “The Steel Union does not agree with the general closure of all companies, as suggested by some uninformed individuals, including Ministers Hamacek and Malacová. Businesses can't be thrown into one bag. Some behave responsibly, others do not. Companies in the steel industry, where people often work in difficult conditions and therefore have special qualifications, cannot afford to lose employees. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our companies have taken above-standard and strict measures against the spread of coronavirus, because we are used to behaving responsibly towards employees and society.” He added “Stopping the operation of the smelter, including blowing out the blast furnaces, is unthinkable for the smelter. For example, in Třinecké železárny, this would mean additional costs in the amount of hundreds of millions to several billion crowns. Continuous metallurgical operations cannot simply be shut down and restarted quickly in a week.” As evidenced by data from the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic from 31 January 2021 published in the media, industrial companies are a place where the number of employees is less infected than in other sectors . The internal statistics of our member companies say the same: Liberty Ostrava reports 0.74% of active cases, Vítkovice Steel 0.88% and ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Karviná 0.77% . The figure for the general population, which is clearly underestimated, is currently 1.39% . The industry as a whole is therefore under fire from unsubstantiated criticism.
Czech Republic’s Steel Union, emphasizing that Czech steel companies have taken the Chinese coronavirus pandemic seriously from the beginning behaving as responsibly as possible because they cannot afford to lose employees in non-stop operations, said that closure of which could cost billions of crowns. Czech Republic’s Steel Union Chairman Daniel Urban said “The Steel Union does not agree with the general closure of all companies, as suggested by some uninformed individuals, including Ministers Hamacek and Malacová. Businesses can't be thrown into one bag. Some behave responsibly, others do not. Companies in the steel industry, where people often work in difficult conditions and therefore have special qualifications, cannot afford to lose employees. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our companies have taken above-standard and strict measures against the spread of coronavirus, because we are used to behaving responsibly towards employees and society.” He added “Stopping the operation of the smelter, including blowing out the blast furnaces, is unthinkable for the smelter. For example, in Třinecké železárny, this would mean additional costs in the amount of hundreds of millions to several billion crowns. Continuous metallurgical operations cannot simply be shut down and restarted quickly in a week.” As evidenced by data from the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic from 31 January 2021 published in the media, industrial companies are a place where the number of employees is less infected than in other sectors . The internal statistics of our member companies say the same: Liberty Ostrava reports 0.74% of active cases, Vítkovice Steel 0.88% and ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Karviná 0.77% . The figure for the general population, which is clearly underestimated, is currently 1.39% . The industry as a whole is therefore under fire from unsubstantiated criticism.
