Sophie Binet is worried. According to her, the economic future looks particularly gloomy. “We are at the beginning of a violent industrial bloodletting,” warns the general secretary of the CGT, in an interview with La Tribune Sundayafter the social plans at Michelin and Auchan. The French tire giant announced on November 5 the closure before 2026 of the Cholet and Vannes sites, which have a total of 1,254 employees.
“It is estimated that more than 150,000 jobs will disappear, probably more,” according to the head of the union center, who predicts a “domino effect” on the subcontractors of “major contractors”.
Binet denounces the increase in margins
According to Sophie Binet, the “bleeding” will hit “all sectors”, and is “due each time to the same strategy of these companies”. Namely “always increase margins”, on the one hand, and “always distribute more profits to shareholders”, on the other hand. In the case of Michelin, the group is “closing sites to finance the cost of capital”, after “record dividend payments”, according to the head of the union.
The CGT has drawn up a list of social plans which “closes to 200”, again according to Sophie Binet. She therefore calls for a “real industrial policy”, and that a “company cannot receive aid (from the State) if the opinion of staff representatives is unfavorable”.
In the immediate future, the CGT is asking for a “moratorium for Michelin to avoid layoffs, to avoid these tragedies and preserve our industrial tools, our qualifications”.
