The festival “With the GM&S, damn it!” will be held on January 17 and 18, 2025 at La Souterraine. Many events are planned to support ex GM&S / LSI employees: exhibitions, round tables, film screenings and concerts, notably with the presence of Creuse singer Gauvain Sers.
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Since the announcement of the vast plan of 157 layoffs in 2017 in the middle of the presidential campaign, employees ex GM&S / LSI, automotive subcontractor at La Souterraine in Creuse, have become the symbol of the workers’ struggle in an industrial sector in great difficulty , a fight followed over the years by the France 3 teams in Limousin.
Taken over in 2017 by the GMD group to become “LSI”, the former GM&S, is once again under threat. Also a victim of the difficulties of the automobile industry, the French equipment manufacturer GMD, which has 47 sites in fourteen countries, is today for sale and among the 82 employees remaining at LSI, the determination to save the activity seems intact.
On January 17 and 18, 2025, a festival entitled “With the GM&S, damn it!” » is organized at La Souterraine. “We chose to call this day, with a touch of irony“With the GM&S, damn it! “, in memory of the words of President Macron in October 2017. While we came to meet him to defend our jobs, he accused us of “making a mess” instead of looking for work, a two-hour drive from home! This expression, diverted today, embodies our determination and our collective response to this injustice.”, explain the employees.
The festival begins on Friday the 17th at 8:30 p.m. at the Eden cinema with the screening of the documentary directed by Bernie Bonvoisin “Bêtes à profits” dedicated to the workers’ wives.
On Saturday 18 from 3 p.m., round tables take place at the “Loft” with Pierre-Paul Danzin on the following themes: “Putting social struggles into images and words, why and how? », “Is the world of work, and particularly industry, under-represented in the media? When we talk about it, how do we talk about it?”
The public will also be able to discover a video installation by Odile Allard and Lech Kowalski (director of the documentary film “On va tout péter” screened at Cannes in 2019) and an exhibition of photographs and illustrations by Thierry Laporte, Alain Cassaigne and Michel Janvier.
Several artists will perform on the stage of the Yves Furet cultural center in La Souterraine on Saturday 18 from 8 p.m.: the group “Bon à rien”, the Creuse singer Gauvain Sers, the activist choir Les Poupées Gonflantes and Didier Wampas & Psycho Attack, for a Single price is €20.
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Was it natural for you to accept this invitation?
Of course, first of all because I am from Creuse, close to this department and I believe that it is important to maintain the jobs that are in Creuse, to preserve businesses, there are not that many… Obviously behind all these people who are fired, put on the spot, there are families and it’s true that watching Bernie Bonvoisin’s report, it’s upsetting, it’s poignant, and we realize what happens once that people are losing their jobs and I really wanted to do my little bit to help and show solidarity, obviously.
You discussed a lot with Vincent Labrousse, trade unionist, with the employees: what touched you the most about them?
Gauvain Sers: What touches me about Vincent and all the people in the report is their humanity, I think. We feel very close to them. It’s their devotion, too, the fact of giving oneself body and soul to a profession and then being “thanked” from one day to the next, even if the word doesn’t really fit the situation, it’s terrible and we wants to take them by the shoulder and simply help them.
Of course, today it’s perhaps easier to sing smooth songs that could go anywhere, but when I started, I immediately wanted to talk about personal things. and also to have social things in my repertoire, to talk about the times in which we live.
Gauvain Serscommitted singer from Creuse
You are a committed singer, which is becoming rare in French song: it is not very popular today when we rather like watered-down music, do you sometimes want to change?
Gauvain Sers: Of course, today it’s perhaps easier to sing smooth songs that could go anywhere, but when I started, I immediately wanted to speak personal things, but also to have social things in my repertoire, to talk about the times we live in, to try to paint the world we live in, to point out the absurdities and what is happening with GM&S is one of them, for me anyway and it’s important to do it in the songs. It’s important to entertain, to move, but also to question and that’s what I try to do on my own small scale.
Are you preparing a new album?
Gauvain Sers: Indeed, you are well informed, I have finished writing the 4th album and I will soon be entering the studio in the coming weeks to record all of that and there is no shortage of topics at the moment!
