The CGT of Marseille sailors, on strike until Wednesday January 15, expressed “deep concerns” regarding the future of the French shipping companies Corsica Linea and La Méridionale. The latter, faced with foreign competition that they consider unfair, could be forced to reduce their activity, leading to the elimination of 600 to 700 jobs by the end of the year.
A direct threat to maritime links to Morocco
La Méridionale, which provides connections between Marseille and Morocco, has been under increasing pressure since the entry into the Mediterranean market of foreign companies, notably the Italian company GNV, a subsidiary of the MSC group. GNV operates from the port of Sète and, according to Frédéric Alpozzo, general secretary of the CGT of sailors, benefits from advantageous conditions, to the detriment of French companies.
The strikers denounce an economic model that they describe as “low-cost”, characterized by working conditions that they consider unacceptable: absence of permanent contracts for sailors, non-respect of social rights and price dumping. For him, these practices endanger the viability of French companies and represent an attack on European rules on labor law and taxation.
Call for a common strategy
The CGT urges Corsica Linea and La Méridionale to develop an ambitious commercial strategy in order to strengthen their connections to Morocco, considered an essential market for their survival. Frédéric Alpozzo underlines that the maritime link between Marseille and Morocco is the shortest for passengers and that it constitutes a strategic asset that companies must promote throughout the year.
The unions also call for a rapid reaction to competition from GNV, which it accuses of benefiting from political support in France. The union particularly points the finger at the secretary general of the Élysée, Alexis Kohler, whose links with MSC, GNV’s parent company, are the subject of an investigation for conflict of interest.
A worrying economic situation
If French companies were to lose their access to strategic ports such as that of Sète, the economic consequences could be disastrous, warns the CGT. This situation could not only lead to a heavy deficit for Corsica Linea and La Méridionale, but also force social plans of an unprecedented scale in this sector.
The union insists “on the importance of collective action to counter this competition and protect jobs linked to these maritime connections, in particular those with Morocco, which represent a major economic and social issue for both companies.”
