Just ahead of the anticipated contract extension for Thyssenkrupp CEO Miguel Lopez, IG Metall is taking a confrontational stance against the controversial executive.

"As things stand today, I will not vote for an extension, and that is also the message from IG Metall as a whole," said Jürgen Kerner, the union's deputy leader and vice-chairman of the supervisory board at Thyssenkrupp, in an interview published Wednesday by Reuters news agency. "A contract extension should only be discussed and decided upon once the person in question has delivered results." According to Kerner, this is not the case with Lopez. The steel division needs a future-proof strategy, but nothing has changed in over a year. A Thyssenkrupp spokesperson referred to Lopez's statements last weekend, in which he said restructuring the steel business was a top priority.

The Thyssenkrupp supervisory board is set to meet on Friday. According to insiders, the agenda includes plans to spin off the marine division and the possible extension of Lopez's contract. Lopez took the helm of the struggling industrial giant two years ago. During the planned restructuring, he has repeatedly clashed with employee representatives, who accuse him of lacking transparency--a charge Lopez denies. Despite the opposition, Lopez's contract extension appears secure, as supervisory board chairman Siegfried Russwurm can cast a tie-breaking vote in his favor. It is a rare occurrence in Germany for a deputy chairman of the supervisory board to vote against the extension of the CEO's contract.

Lopez aims to form a 50:50 joint venture for the steel division with the energy holding company of Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, who has already acquired a 20 percent stake. Here too, Kerner is not holding back. "We have officially requested talks with Mr. Kretinsky--verbally, in writing, and even via WhatsApp," Kerner said. "We always receive very polite responses that he would like to speak with us at an appropriate time, but is currently unable to comment." Kerner calls this unacceptable, adding that it reinforces the impression that Kretinsky may not be the right solution. Kretinsky did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Tom Käckenhoff and Christoph Steitz, edited by Philipp Krach. For inquiries, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and economics) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for business and markets).)