JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP
Sophie Binet, general secretary of the CGT, expressed concern about recent layoff plans by French companies in an interview with “La Tribune”.
ECONOMY – The number 1 of one of the largest unions in France did not hide her anger. While several plans for layoffs and factory closures have been announced, such as at Auchan, Sophie Binet, the general secretary of the CGT, questioned the Minister of Industry, Marc Ferracci on his management of these cascading social plans.
Asked by The Tribune in an interview published on the evening of Saturday, November 9, Sophie Binet stepped up to the plate: “The minister is establishing the idea that there is no longer any reason to fight: “take the check and shut up”. Obviously, he has not understood his role: he is not minister of layoffs, but of industry! »she said.
“Workers are not fighting to get compensation and leave, they are fighting to defend their jobs. There is no worse social violence than unemployment. Imagine when you have worked in a factory for twenty, thirty, forty years and in ten minutes, like at Michelin, you learn of its closure! »she added.
On Friday, November 8, Marc Ferracci visited the Michelin site in Cholet, after the group's announcement of its closure. But greeted by angry employees and booed copiously, the Minister of Industry finally left the premises after only a few minutes. On Saturday, November 9, he warned of further factory closures to come. These will affect “thousands of jobs”he indicated on France Inter. Not really enough to reassure the CGT.
Concerns about employment
Near The TribuneSophie Binet warned “ of a violent industrial bloodletting”. “It is estimated that more than 150,000 jobs will disappear, probably more”according to number 1 of the CGT, which predicts a “ domino effect » on subcontractors of “ major contractors ». According to the union organization, the number of social plans in progress “closes to 200”.
Sophie Binet talks about a “bleeding” who 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 “ distribute ever more profits to shareholders”on the other hand. In the case of Michelin, the group “ closes sites to finance cost of capital »after “ dividend payment records »according to the head of the union center. The French tire giant announced on November 5 the closure before 2026 of the Cholet and Vannes sites, which employ a total of 1,254 employees.
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