Canada’s Stelco to recall 175 workers after government pressure

Canadian steelmaker Stelco says it will recall all 175 workers laid off at its plant in Hamilton and pay them retroactively, following a weeks-long standoff that pitted workers and the Canadian government against its owner in the United States. The announcement on Friday came shortly after Canada’s Industry Minister Melanie Joly said she would seek a court order to force Cleveland-Cliffs to sell Stelco unless she heard from management by the end of the day.

The company said in a statement on Friday that it had reached agreements with enough customers to restart its finishing operations and that workers would be recalled on December 1. They would receive back pay for the standard wages they would have earned while laid off.

The president of United Steelworkers Local 1005, Ron Wells, welcomed the announcement and credited pressure from workers, the union and the government.