IThey were on strike at 7 a.m. this Tuesday, January 7 for the very first time. Around thirty employees from the independent medical biology laboratory Bio 17 mobilized in front of the Lagord site, to express their disagreement with the new work organization put in place by their employer since the start of 2025. Nearly 200 people work at Bio 17, whose laboratories, which welcome around 70,000 patients per year, are spread across 14 sites in Charente-Maritime.
Petition, press release and strike
After being informed last October of this new organization of their work, the strikers circulated a petition internally in December, then called a strike. “In 2023, we suffered a first decline in our rights with the modification of schedules and the elimination of Saturdays off every two weeks. We accepted these decisions,” the strikers immediately recall in a press release. They continue: “Today, when we are having more and more difficulty finishing the month, our employer has expressed the desire to call into question 'business practices' and to carry out four economic layoffs. »
The employees appealed to the departmental section of the CGT this Tuesday. “There is an impact on salaries, but also on working conditions. The employer is setting up a new organization which will be based on a rhythm of six working days out of seven for fifteen consecutive days followed by a five-day week with the elimination of weekends off,” regrets Clément Gaborit of the CGT 17. The strikers demand the cessation of this organization but also the maintenance of the thirteenth month, that of the indexation of salaries, the two days of paid leave as well as the coverage of two days of waiting in the event of a cessation disease.
A “tense” economic situation at Bio 17
The management of Bio 17 brought together the strikers in the afternoon, after refusing to discuss with the CGT. It confirms to “Sud Ouest” a “tense” economic situation for the laboratory, due to an “unacceptable drop in the nomenclature”, that is to say the rating of medical biology procedures. “For two years, the sum of successive reductions in nomenclature has grown to almost 20% of turnover for the entire profession,” explains Matthieu Durand, director of human resources.
Management says it is attentive and open to discussions with employees. “We kept the thirteenth month in the financing plan and we had four redundancies out of a workforce of 200 people. Today, all our laboratories are running and 90% of employees agree with this restructuring of the schedule,” insists Olivier Moreau, director of Bio 17. And to conclude: “I understand that our employees are stressed for the future, We have things to announce and we reserve our response to employees as a priority. »
