BERLIN/FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Amid the crisis gripping the German steel industry, IG Metall has called for a major rally in Berlin featuring the leadership of the Green and Left parties. This Friday (June 12), employees from across the country are expected to demonstrate for the interests of the steel sector, marching from the Brandenburg Gate to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, according to an IG Metall statement from Frankfurt. Thousands of participants are anticipated.

'In recent months, and under our pressure, policymakers have done a great deal for the steel industry,' said Jürgen Kerner, Vice Chairman of IG Metall. 'They must not stop halfway now. They must deliver on their promises.'

Alongside Kerner, the rally is set to include the co-leaders of the Green and Left parties, Felix Banaszak and Ines Schwerdtner. Works council chairs and labor directors from the steel industry are also scheduled to speak.

Steel sector under pressure from all sides

The German steel industry is suffering from the downturn in its customer sectors, particularly the automotive industry. This is compounded by high energy prices, cheap imports primarily from China, and the costs associated with the transition to climate-friendly steel production. High US tariffs on steel imports are also weighing on the sector.

Last year, German steel production fell to 34.1 million metric tons of crude steel - the lowest level since the 2009 financial crisis. Steel giant Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe has approved a drastic restructuring plan and intends to cut or outsource approximately 11,000 positions.

The federal government had already convened a steel summit at the Chancellery in November. It has introduced an industrial electricity price cap to provide relief to energy-intensive sectors like steel. Support is also coming from Brussels: in April, the EU agreed to nearly halve the volume of duty-free imports into the European Union. Further imports are to be subject to a 50 percent punitive tariff./hoe/DP/stk