“At the end of their nerves”, the dismissed employees of Ax Aide, a Tarbes home help company, decided to take a “stab” action with Me Legrand, the Tarbes legal representative in charge of the case of closing.
Two laid-off employees evacuated to the hospital, one seven months pregnant whose water had just broken, the other suffering from an epileptic attack, undoubtedly because of the annoyances and stress of the next day: it was a bit of a straw that broke the already full camel of the fifty or so employees of Ax Aide, a Tarbes home-based business which closed suddenly on October 1, with financial liabilities of nearly €500,000.
The judicial liquidation of the company was declared by the Tarbes commercial court only a month later, on November 5, which further delayed the payment of “arrears” salaries. Food had been collected by the CGT and the Peasant Confederation, to offer emergency baskets to employees, without a single cent for several weeks.
On a whim, in reaction to this dramatic situation, Friday morning, the former employees of Ax Aide decided to take a “stab” action at Me Legrand, the Tarbes legal representative in charge of the closure file of their business and prevent him from leaving.
Laid off since December 4, the employees, the vast majority of women care workers, are still waiting for their last salary for the month of November (Editor's note: that of October was paid on November 28) but above all “their balance of all accounts and their end-of-contract documents” which allow them to register with France Travail, to receive unemployment benefits and look for a job.
“We can no longer feed our families and our children and pay our bills”
“In addition to the money he owes us, the legal representative did not send the documents necessary for our registration with France Travail” is outraged by the delegation which went there, supported by the Departmental Union of the CGT who contacted general secretary Sophie Binet to intervene with the ministry.
“As Christmas approaches, the situation puts us at the end of our rope. We can no longer feed our families and our children, and pay our bills,” testifies a young woman. His colleague declares that “his salary is almost entirely taken by the bank's fees from his overdraft account, despite the agent's awareness letters”.
“Everything owed to employees will be paid to them”
Contacted by us, the legal representative Me Legrand believes that he is doing his best to try to respond to the distress of all these women: “The dismissal procedures have taken place. Now, we are making sure to urgently release the amounts due for the month of November.
But for the balance of any account and the end of contract documents, I cannot commit to a deadline or a date, because, as we have no money in this file, we cannot pay the “historical” accountant of the company and we are obliged to find an “in-house” solution, which takes more time. But everything owed to the dismissed employees will be paid to them.”
According to the CGT, “the judicial representative has undertaken in writing that the guaranteed salaries will be paid from Monday, December 23, into the employees' bank accounts no later than December 26. As for the balance of any account and their certification at the end of the contract, they will be given at most on December 31.
