Black day for employment in France. The distributor Auchan and the automotive supplier Michelin announced this Tuesday more than 3,600 job cuts both of them. Auchan, after several difficult years, plans to cut 2,389 jobs in Francenotably via the closure of around ten stores. For its part, Michelin announces the planned closure before 2026 of two industrial sites in the west of the country, in Cholet (Maine-et-Loire) and Vannes (Brittany), which concerns 1,254 employees.
In response, the Prime Minister Michel Barnier said he wantedknow“what Auchan and Michelin did”public money given to them“. “I am not proud (…) of a policy that would destroy jobs, ever”added the Prime Minister before the National Assembly, during the government questions session. “I am concerned to know what we did in these groups with the public money that we gave them. I want to know. And so we are going to ask questions and we will see if this money was well spent. or misused to learn from it”he developed.
These closures are “eminently worrying”
These site closures are “obviously eminently worrying”, also reacted the Minister of the Economy Antoine Armandtraveling in Pas-de-Calais. Concerning Auchan, the State will ensure that “employment remains at the heart of the strategy“of the group and by the way”that the priority of this transformation is indeed employment“, said the minister.
Antoine Armand also said “regret“Michelin's decision.”The State will have extraordinarily strong vigilance“as for the reclassification of”all employees” affected and will “everything possible to help find a buyer” for one or both sites, promised the minister. The CEO of the equipment manufacturer, Florent Menegaux, justified the closures by “the collapse of activity“and promised that”We will not leave anyone behind.”
The Prime Minister hoped that Michelin and Auchan could “working with the local fabric, local elected officials (…) unions, local employers, chambers of commerce” pour “put (…) together all the tools at our disposal to individually support each employee and support these territories in the possibility of reconversion”.
“A drama, a massive blow”
“The Mulliez group [Auchan] is destroying jobs in France“, also reacted Léon Deffontainesspokesperson for the Communist Party, on franceinfo. The decision taken by Auchan is “a drama, a massive blow, the result of poor management of the group“, denounced Fabien Rousselnational secretary of the PCF on the social network
“It's anguish for all families“, denounced on France Blue the deputy François Ruffin.
“They are rogue capitalists”launched Gilles Bourdouleixmayor of Cholet, about Michelin. He accuses the management of the tire manufacturer of having allowed “rot” the Cholet site.
“Leaving our companies to untenable Chinese competition and exorbitant energy costs is not inevitable. France and Europe have all the assets, all the talents: acting is still possible to make our country an energy paradise and stop this industrial bleeding”also reacted Jordan Bardellapresident of the National Rally.
