Par
Erwan Gendry
Published on
Dec 1 2024 at 6:16 a.m.
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In Durtal (Maine-et-Loire), the 56 employees of the Weinerberger brickworks are going through a difficult time. Since the announcement of the closure of another site of the group, Flines-Lez-Raches (North)a deleterious atmosphere reigns in the Durtal factory.
On Monday November 4, 2024, 90% of staff decided to strike. On the one hand to provide support to their counterparts in the North. On the other hand, to try to get rid of the blur that hangs over the Durtal site.
In Maine-et-Loire, the Weinerberger brickyard is experiencing complicated days
Installed since 2008 in the ZAC Les Portes d'Anjou, the Weinerberger brickworks is under a long-term partial activity system (APLD). To put it simply, production at the factory has been at a standstill since the end of September 2024 and employees are paid partly by the state.
“According to a letter from management, we will resume activity at 60% during the second week of January 2025, but under what conditions,” asks Eric Péglionemployee and CFDT delegate of the factory. Before the activity stopped, employees were under constant pressure. We were five teams of three people to accomplish a monster job in a 6×4. Conditions are bad. The recovery? We don't feel it. »
Michel Saby, director of the Durtal site specifies: “In a desire to favor social dialogue, we intend to regularly organize a situation update from the resumption of production next February linked to economic activity in the field of construction in France. »
€2.6 million repaid every year
In addition, a numerical report correlated with a lack of communication has strained the atmosphere in Durtal land: “We are often told that our factory is in the top of the group's production, but we realize that we are ahead of -last in terms of cost price with a deficit of €2.6 million each year. »
After several researches, this financial hole each year would be linked to the cost of installing the Durtal factory. This would have cost “€50 million, the company has already reimbursed half but there is still €25 million in depreciationor €2.6 million each year,” specifies Eric Peglion. Questioned on this subject, Mr. Saby did not wish to communicate.
“It’s a lack of communication. If we had had these explanations in good time, the employees would not have been so concerned… Today, we do not feel the fact that there could be a wave of layoffs in the months to come, but we remain cautious.”
A visit from the big boss in early January
At the end of this demonstration on November 4, Michel Saby confirmed that the partial activity system would remain in place until November 2025 in order to protect employees.
“The big director of the company should even make the trip to Durtal, in January, to come and reassure the employees,” confides Jean-François ConanWood Construction project manager at the CFDT. Communicated optimism, but until when? “In the current economic situation, we must be very careful. The construction sector is doing badly and employees are being made to believe that things will get better in the months to come. In the case of the Durtal brickworks, apart from the fact that they have the status of number one in their field, we do not really know in which direction the Austrian company Wienerberger wishes to go…”
A sector in difficulty
Like many French companies, the Durtal brickworks faces “ a persistent crisis and a notable drop in activities» on the new construction market.
“The sector is recording a significant decrease in building permits and construction starts, which particularly impacts the individual (-50%) and collective (-30%) housing segments. For 2025, forecasts for the construction market are gloomy,” analyzes Michel Saby.
To redress the situation, the site director hopes “a lot ofFinance Billcurrently being discussed in the Assembly and we are waiting for rapid impact measures for the building markets.”
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