Without consulting each other, many of them wore the same jacket to come and parade with their families in the streets of Choisy-le-Roi (Val-de-Marne), this Saturday June 6, against the closure of their factory. A black jacket, which had been distributed to them a few years ago, with the inscription “Renault group” on the back and on the chest, a logo intermingling gears with this slogan, sadly ironic for them now: “Choisy 2020, together towards excellence”.
“Ah yes, we should break the gears, squeaks Frédéric, 44, who works in motor assembly and demonstrated with his partner and two sons. This jacket was to mark goals, we had lots of projects that were to be completed this year. So when 15 days ago, at breakfast, I heard on the radio that they were talking about closing Choisy, I said to myself, “it is not possible, I heard wrong”! After there’s anger, disgust, you go through all the emotions. “
Several hundred people demonstrate in Choisy-le-Roi (94) against the Renault factory farm. Among them,… https://t.co/4G9fKDsaSI
For Fabrice, almost 50 years old, including 20 at the factory, same gear on the chest, it was “A big blow on the head”: “We weren’t expecting that. For us we are a profitable factory, it is incomprehensible “.
Employees learned that their site was threatened by the press in mid-May, The Duck chained and The echoes revealing that Choisy, like two other Renault sites, in Dieppe (Seine-Maritime), and in Caudan (Morbihan) would be doomed to shutdown in the short term.
On May 29, by announcing a savings plan of 2 billion euros over three years, and the abolition of 15,000 jobs including 4,600 in France, the president of the Renault group Jean-Dominique Senard, only finally officialized the transfer of activity from the Choisy-le-Roi plant to the Flins site (Yvelines), 70 km away. Making of Choisy-le-Roi, where 263 employees work, the “ the only site to close in France by 2022 “ at the group’s 14 industrial sites.
However, the Choisy site has a very specific activity, in circular economy: it is the only one in France to be specialized in the renovation and reconditioning of engines and gearboxes to allow a standard exchange at lower cost for the consumer as for the ‘environment.
Speaking before the procession took off, the PCF mayor of Choisy, Didier Guillaume, castigated the “Nonsense” which consists in closing a site “Highly virtuous, working on the circular economy” and welcomes “Young people in integration”.
“To fight each in his factory, it will not work”
Many local elected representatives were present alongside the employees and their families in “A gathering beyond political families” as specified by Mr. Guillaume, greeting the communist mayors of Valenton, Villeneuve-Saint-Georges and Vitry-sur-Seine, the PS deputy just elected in Alfortville, Luc Carvounas, and asking for calm when the deputy LRM of the constituency Jean-François Mbaye spoke under a few hoots. “This closure is an aberration” summarized Christian Favier, the PCF president of the departmental council rejoicing that faced “To this scandalous announcement” gets up “A broad brow to say no to closure”.
We also noted the presence of LFI deputy Eric Coquerel (Seine-Saint-Denis) as well as that of CGT secretary general Philippe Martinez but also delegations of employees of other factories of the Renault group and even of the PSA site in Poissy. “We can’t fight everyone in our factory, it won’t work. We need a general offensive “ launched Jean-Pierre Mercier CGT central delegate at PSA and spokesperson for LO.
“We don’t want to participate in the match that Renault management is leading: Choisy against Flins. We are here to say that our match is all the employees against the bosses of Renault, explains Olivier Augustin, CGT delegate at Flins.
“The truth is, Flins is going to close, whatever the management says. But they’re a bit annoyed because there are close to 4,600 working there, if you count the hired, the temporary and the subcontractors. So they want to take it easy, by sending Choisy’s activity to us so that there is something left when we stop assembling the Zoé. But we are not fooled ”.
“It’s a political choice! “
An analysis shared by Bruno Talazacq FO delegate (majority), elected to the social and economic committee (CSE) of the Choisy plant and who was present this week during the visit of a delegation from the group’s general management:
“They tell us about the isolation of the site, while we are next to the Seine, a railway and the A86. We are told that our fixed costs are higher than elsewhere: but we cannot compare the industrial craftsmanship demanded by standard exchange with the fixed costs of a large production factory! Above all, I believe that they chose to sacrifice our little factory, which did not make much noise, to avoid the scandal that would result from the closure of Flins. It’s a political choice! “
” Executive management ? Thugs ! Executive management ? Murderers! General manager, incompetent ” chanted the head of the procession which mixed, in the same determination, almost retired and young hired. All refused the prospect of a transfer to Flins, 70 km from site to site, and sometimes more for the number of employees living in Essonne.
“They’ve been here for four generations! “
“It is our whole life plan that is called into question”, testified Mélanie, 36, married to an employee. She wore a t-shirt distributed for the 70th anniversary celebrations of the factory last year. ” This site is part of my family history: my grandparents, my mother, my uncle worked there, I met my husband there while I was doing a summer job there, my son did his 3rd internship. We are very attached to it. ”
“All these families remind you that we are not just talking about jobs. Closing a factory affects people’s lives ” confided Samir Slim FO delegate. “They’ve been here for four generations. Are we going to move everything? But for what, for a project that does not exist? We are going to fight for families and children. We are together “ launched in front of the factory Stéphane Maillet, CFE-CGC delegate.
The employees ended their strike Friday after four days of blockage. They are now awaiting the detailed presentation of the savings plan at the central CSE on June 16.
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