A general strike is called in the nickel industry

What is the future of the three nickel refining plants on the archipelago that are on the verge of bankruptcy? The General Union of Industrial Workers of New Caledonia (SGTI-NC) on Saturday 20 January has called for a general strike in the nickel sector on 25 January. The union is demanding that shareholders participate in the rescue of the region’s three metallurgical factories, while the New Caledonian nickel sector receives financial support from the state.

“The state will still put money on the table, and in the end, it will be the Caledonians who pay, while the shareholders make huge profits,” Glen Delathier, representative of SGTI-NC, the majority shareholder in Societe Le Nickel (SLN) and which presents itself as the first in the sector in New Caledonia, announced at a press conference. Several subcontractor organizations have announced that they are joining the movement, which aims to “Condemn the looting of our wealth”Glenn Delathier added.

During a visit to the region in late November, the Minister of Economy, Bruno Le Maire, estimated the immediate financing needs of the three nickel factories in the archipelago (KNS, SLN and Proni Resources) at 1.5 billion euros. However, in the fall, major shareholders of each industrial company (Glencore for KNS, Eramet for SLN and Southern Province for Prony sources) indicated that they would no longer provide new financing for their industrial sites.