The mayor of La Roche-sur-Yon, Luc Bouard, has obtained a commitment from the manufacturer which allows redundant employees to keep this advantage in kind.
This story of tires was not started to deflate. We can even say, to stay in the automobile metaphor, that the road was strewn with pitfalls before stopping dead. Look in the rear view mirror: this fall, on the sidelines of the announcement of the closure of the Michelin factory in La Roche-sur-Yon, management is warning its Vendée employees that they will have to return – or reimburse – their train tires purchased at a preferential rate. And yes, a huge advantage granted, the employees of the group have the possibility each year to buy four tires – at the price of one – to equip their vehicle.
Immediately, the unions step up and protest against this double penalty inflicted on workers, with, at the same time, the end of activity in La Roche-sur-Yon and the withdrawal of their benefit in kind. They don’t have words strong enough to stigmatize behavior deemed particularly petty.
The industrialist finally backtracked this weekend: it was the city’s mayor who indicated on his Twitter account that he had obtained a commitment from Michelin according to which employees can keep their tires. For the town councilor, it’s a good move, six weeks before the municipal elections. For employees, a – small – consolation: even if it is planned that a party can continue to work on another site, others are preparing to leave the company. As for the management, it remains straight in its boots, stressing that the initial decision was in accordance with the procedure. However, it ended up deflating.
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