The administrative authority petitions for the accountability of Thyssenkrupp's leadership.
Government Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) previously voiced concerns. He told the 'Rheinische Post' in Düsseldorf that the situation at Thyssenkrupp is extraordinarily tense all around, stating, "That's not a good situation."
On a Thursday evening, post a supervisory board meeting of Thyssenkrupp Steel, both the chairman and management of the subsidiary announced their departure. Supervisory board chair Sigmar Gabriel accused Miguel López, CEO of the main company, of waging an "unprecedented assault" against the management of the steel sector in recent weeks.
López publicly criticized the management of the steel sector, Bernhard Osburg, claiming that he needs "ultimately to establish a sustainable, solid, and financially viable business blueprint for the realignment." Thyssenkrupp is proceeding with the split-off of the ailing steel subsidiary. Osburg and Gabriel were supposed to steer and guide this project.
Meanwhile, 20% of the steel subsidiary has been sold to EPCG, a company owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky. An additional 30% is planned to be handed over to EPCG. There's significant disagreement regarding the amount of money the division should still receive from the parent company. Trade union representatives have been cautioning against possible layoffs due to the upcoming restructuring for several months.
Osburg, among other board members of the division, Markus Grolms and Heike Denecke-Arnold, resigned on Thursday. Thyssenkrupp Steel announced that the remaining board members, Dennis Grimm and Philipp Conze, would continue managing the business. "The replacement of the vacant positions will be handled in an organized process in the near future," the company declared.
Ali Güzel, chairman of the works council of Thyssenkrupp Steel in Duisburg, criticized López. "This is the Essen management that has driven us into this mess," he said to WDR. With Osburg, Grolms, and Denecke-Arnold, López has "eliminated" three experts who had developed a solid plan for the independent future of the steel sector.
Supervisory board chair Gabriel referred to a "severe breach of trust" and also accused Siegfried Russwurm, chairman of the supervisory board of the parent company. He claimed to have worked well with the steel management, but it seems that the vision of a successful, independent steel sector is no longer pursued in Essen. "Responsible action as supervisory board members is no longer possible under these circumstances."
The state has pledged Thyssenkrupp Steel two billion euros for the transition to green steel, but the company must fulfill its obligations in return, stated a representative from the Ministry of Economics. The company is required "to contribute its share to ensure that the transformation succeeds and a future-proof steel production is sustained at the German economic location," said Habeck.
In response to Miguel López's criticism of the steel sector management, Sigmar Gabriel, the supervisory board chair, accused him of conducting an "unprecedented assault" against the managers in the steel sector. Furthermore, Gabriel expressed concern about the potential impact of the ongoing restructuring on the steel sector's future, stating that the vision of a successful, independent steel sector seems to be abandoning in Essen.
