IIt's raining heavily in Sarlat (Dordogne) on Monday, November 25. A real All Saints' Day time which reflects the gloomy atmosphere which reigns among the employees of Rougié. Almost all of the 73 on the site are blockading the foie gras factory, established in the capital of Périgord Noir since 1977.
The announcement of the closure of the Sarladais workshop, Wednesday November 20, surprised more than one. Especially the way this one was made. “We had barely left the meeting with management that our colleagues were already aware, through the press,” points out, angrily, one of the employees, who has been there for forty years. This is a real lack of respect. »
A sledgehammer
That said, the situation is not surprising either. Coming as a neighbor, Didier Bourdet, local secretary of the CGT, supports: “Several months ago, we questioned the mayor about the situation of Euralis, to see them. For two months, we had no news. There were rumors, enough to be taken seriously. » He goes even further: “They [NDLR : la direction du groupe Euralis, propriétaire de Rougié] have invested in the Maubourguet site, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, to kill the Sarlat site. »
But for many employees gathered in front of the factory this Monday, November 25, it was a blow. “We don’t believe it,” they admit. It came upon us so suddenly…”
The site blockade began this Monday morning.
Boris Rebeyrotte
The employee who has been present for forty years goes further: “And they dare to talk about the well-being of the employee? It wasn’t even them who came to the meeting, but the site director who was also fired.” Didier Bourdet, too, is angry. “They spit in the face of the Rougié family who came to settle here in 1977,” he asserts. For other employees, seeing the Rougié brand exported is out of the question. “I hope they won’t have the audacity to use it,” warns one of them. Nor our recipes, for that matter. Luxury quality can be cultivated. »
“They spit in the face of the Rougié family”
Beyond the loss of their job, for many, Rougié is a part of their life. Despite fairly low salaries (1). “We are paid nothing,” says Fatiha, a former union representative. After forty years of service, some earn €13.17 per hour. We know that, at the moment, it's complicated for the canneries, but still. »
In the meantime, the site has been blocked since Monday morning. No trucks are leaving or entering.
Other actions planned
Other actions are planned during the week, but, for the moment, they are being kept secret. What is certain is that the blockage of the factory will continue. If, faced with the inevitable, employees seem resigned, what they are asking is to be able to negotiate their departure as best as possible. “To renew the dialogue with management would not be bad,” admits Fatiha. “They wanted to kill the company,” fumes an employee. When I see that the store has a turnover of 800,000 euros, that's not where they're losing money, right? » As for the reasons given by management, they make one cringe. “Bird flu and Covid have a good relationship,” she continues. The vaccine [contre la grippe aviaire] is reimbursed at 75%. »
Next step, Friday November 29, with the meeting of the social and economic committee during which a timetable should be set.
(1) A support fund for employees has been launched on leetchi.com (type “support for Rougié employees” in the Support a cause tab).
