Dec 16, 2011 -- The Slovak unit of United States Steel Corp. (X) will cut working hours from January as the euro- region’s economic slowdown hurts orders, Sme reported, citing Jan Baca, spokesman for the Slovak plant.

Workers will stay at home every Friday, receiving 60 percent of salary, the newspaper said. U.S. Steel’s plant in Kosice, eastern Slovakia, has about 13,000 employees and its output accounts for 0.5 percent of the east European country’s gross domestic product, Sme said.