Friday 24 April 2026
9:00 – 10:30 AM (Montreal-EDT)
2:00 – 3:30 PM (London-BST)
3:00 – 4:30 PM (Stockholm-CEST)
Online (on Zoom)
The global steel industry is entering a period of profound turbulence. Tariff policies are reshaping markets and reviving debates over industrial policy. At the same time, armed conflicts in regions such as Ukraine and the Middle East continue to disrupt supply chains, energy prices, and global economic stability.
As one of the largest sources of global carbon emissions, the steel sector faces mounting pressure to decarbonize. While technologies such as hydrogen-based direct reduced iron (DRI) and Electric Arc Furnaces (EAFs) offer viable pathways toward low-carbon production, investment remains uneven and often delayed, frequently accompanied by capacity cuts with serious consequences for workers and their communities.
In this context, critical questions emerge: Who will bear the costs of the transition? Who will benefit? And what role can unions play in shaping a just transition?
About the webinar
This 90-minute webinar brings together frontline trade union representatives and researchers from Canada, the United Kingdom, and Sweden to explore the challenges and opportunities facing industrial unions in the steel sector.
By comparing different national contexts, from Sweden’s more state-coordinated approach to the more market-driven dynamics in the UK and Canada, the discussion will examine how unions can build strategic and technical capacity, develop independent knowledge, form broad coalitions and strengthen political leverage to negotiate fair and sustainable “green industrial bargains.”
The panel will highlight practical pathways to move beyond defensive responses toward proactive strategies that support climate investments, high-quality jobs, and resilient communities.
Speakers
Meg Gingrich, National Executive Assistant, United Steelworkers (USW), Canada
Alasdair MacDiarmid, Assistant General Secretary, Community, United Kingdom
Alexsandar Zuza, Researcher and Staff Representative, IF Metall, Sweden
Moderators
John Peters, CRIMT, Memorial University
Jonas Algers, Katalys Institute, Stockholm
CRIMT will co-host the webinar with the Katalys Institute (Stockholm).
The webinar will be held in English, with simultaneous interpretation into French.
Registration is free but mandatory.
