unions and elected officials call on Emmanuel Macron to intervene with Renault to save the factory

The French manufacturer has so far represented 95% of the turnover of the factory, which employs 350 people in Caudan, in Morbihan.

A cry of warning. In an open letter addressed to Emmanuel Macron, Thursday January 2, several union officials as well as elected officials call on the President of the Republic to intervene with Renault so that the manufacturer commits to maintaining orders until 2028 for the Foundry of Brittany, threatened with closure.

“We refuse to allow the closure of the Fonderie de Bretagne to become a symbol of the deindustrialization of the country and the inability of the State to be respected by large French groups.”

The signatories

in their letter to Emmanuel Macron

The letter, signed among others by the general secretary of the CGT Sophie Binet and the president of the CFE-CGC François Hommeril, but also by several Breton deputies and elected officials, deplores Renault's refusal “to guarantee the least market share [à l’usine]preferring to relocate its production to Türkiye, Spain and Portugal.

La Fonderie de Bretagne, which employs 350 people in Caudan (Morbihan) in the manufacture of cast iron parts for automobiles, “was built by and for Renault after a long struggle in the early 1960s”. The “sudden disengagement” of the manufacturer poses the threat of a closure of the factory, because Renault until now represented 95% of turnover.

While the German fund Private Assets had applied for a takeover, committing “to bring 11 000 tonnes per year of new production (…) making it possible to quickly escape commercial dependence on the automobile sector”Renault refused to maintain its orders until 2028, “time to allow diversification to ramp up”.

“The State has the levers to force Renault to play the made in France game.”

The signatories

in their letter to Emmanuel Macron

The French manufacturer received 298 million euros in public aid in 2023 and benefited “a loan guaranteed by the State of 4 billion during Covid”they emphasize. The French state also holds 15% of the manufacturer's capital. “The outcome hangs by a thread: Renault’s commitment”conclude the signatories, calling on Emmanuel Macron to intervene with the manufacturer's management.