Stelco begins issuing layoff notices; 330 Hamilton jobs cut by Sunday

Stelco Holdings is laying off roughly 330 workers at its Hamilton steel plant starting Sunday, with the cuts unfolding over about three weeks. The company began issuing individual layoff notices this week, telling about 90 workers not to return for their next scheduled shift.

The plant, owned by U.S.-based Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., cited ongoing trade crisis, weak demand, and continued import pressure for the cuts. Additional layoffs are expected among co-op workers and employees at the company's pickling operations at Lake Erie Works in Nanticoke, Ontario. Stelco announced last week plans to cut up to 500 workers across both Hamilton and Lake Erie facilities.

The union representing workers, United Steelworkers local 1005, is treating the cuts as temporary under the collective agreement, though the company is describing them as indefinite layoffs. Ron Wells, the local's president, has not commented on the company's characterization.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly threatened legal action against Cleveland-Cliffs if the company fails to provide a plan outlining how it will honour job commitments made when the parent company acquired Stelco in 2024. The minister did not specify a deadline for that response.