June 11 (Reuters) - Steelmaker ArcelorMittal's

Canadian long products unit said on Wednesday that it was laying

off 153 workers as part of a restructuring of its wire drawing

activities.

The unit's wire drawing mill in Hamilton, Ontario, will be

shut down permanently in the coming weeks.

Its activities, primarily intended for the

telecommunications, construction and automotive markets, will be

handled entirely at the Montreal site.

This comes after the U.S. hiked tariffs on steel and

aluminum imports, effective June 4, for all trading partners

except Britain.

Canadian companies and a major union last week warned of job

losses and lost sales resulting from higher U.S. levies on steel

and aluminum, as Canada prepares for reprisals over the metal

tariffs.

"The restructuring we are announcing today was necessary to

ensure the sustainability of our wire drawing activities," said

Stephane Brochu, CEO of ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada.