Thank you for contacting us with your concerns. We appreciate the opportunity for engagement.

As we have said previously, after the tragic accident at our Kazakhstanskaya mine in August, we did everything in our power to support the families of our five colleagues who lost their lives. While we appreciate there is no adequate compensation for the devastation caused when a family loses a member, we always want to ensure that in such a circumstance the family is at least supported and provided for. Support we have provided includes a one-off payment equivalent to ten years’ salary, monthly insurance payments to children up to 18 years old (or 23 years old if they remain in full-time education) equivalent to the salary of the victim and covering educational fees for children including higher education.

We are also committed to purchasing residential accommodation for bereaved families. To ensure fairness, the collective labour agreement under which we operate in Kazakhstan outlines the accommodation requirements we must provide in this particular process, including establishing a minimum allocation of square meters per family member.

During the engagement process with Mrs. Steshina, we recognized her specific requirements and subsequently provided her with several choices of two and three-room apartments that we believe fully met her needs and preferences. Options included apartments featuring upgraded courtyards, increased storage options, choices of apartment floors, diverse apartment sizes, and careful consideration of the proximity to public transport, clinics, and shops within walking distance, in line with a similar pricing standard and rates proposed and agreed upon by other families facing the same tragic circumstances.

Despite being offered a selection of apartments that we believe fully meet her needs, unfortunately, Mrs. Steshina has concluded she wants something which is significantly more expensive than accommodation purchased for other bereaved families. We always aim to adhere to the principle of fairness and consistency towards all bereaved families, and to providing accommodation options that are of the same quality and cost.

Unfortunately, even though we have ArcelorMittal Temirtau’s collective labor agreement to refer to, have reached agreement with all the other families and have consistently maintained engagement with Mrs. Steshina, we have been unable to reach a conclusion and, at the current time, Mrs. Steshina has elected to discontinue discussions on this matter with us. We do of course remain committed to resolving this matter and remain open to further discussions with Mrs. Steshina.