Threatened by the difficulties and the cessation of salt deliveries from Vencorex, the management of Arkema, in Jarrie (Isère), is considering a reorganization plan by closing the south of the platform. This decision outrages the employees who launched an indefinite strike this Thursday, December 5.
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The chemical industry sector is in danger. After the Vencorex employees in Pont-de-Claix, it is the turn of those at the Arkema site in Jarrie (Isère) to launch a strike, starting this Thursday. A decision taken the day after announcements from management. Impacted by the shutdown of the Vencorex site, which no longer delivers the salts necessary for certain productions, the site is considering a “reorganization” plan for the beginning of 2025.
Concretely, management proposes to leave aside the production of chlorine, which is very salt-intensive. If this is effective, the southern part of the platform could then close and nearly 120 employees would see their jobs directly threatened.
What employees criticize the management bodies for is not having taken the necessary precautions, particularly at Vencorex, to avoid an impact on the entire chemical industry. “We have not been able to anticipate what brings us to this present. The entire industrial chain of the sector is in danger”, comments Stéphane Vigne, secretary of the CSE and elected CGT of Arkema.
Also read: “It comes through anger, through rebellion”: Philippe Poutou on the Vencorex website to support the mobilization
Local elected officials, present to support employees, are also well aware of the threats facing this industry : “We alerted the government in September, there is a powerful risk of a domino effect. It is urgent to take serious measures to avoid this chain reaction”attests Christophe Ferrari, president of Grenoble-Alpes Métropole.
Manufacturers act in isolation when they should be forming an ecosystem.
Christophe FerrariPresident of Grenoble-Alpes Métropole
The employees' demand is clear: a partial and temporary nationalization of the chemical industrial sector. A process that would cost several hundred million euros. But here too, the president of the metropolis has a clear answer: “How much would it cost to close and clean up these sites? Several billion is much more than for nationalization.” This Friday, December 6, Arkema employees decided to organize a ghost day: 100% of them will be on strike, they announced.
