In Haute-Loire, the closures of the Michelin sites in Vannes or Cholet do not leave the 500 employees of the Blavozy site indifferent. Production on the site will stop until the beginning of January. The living area is worried. Businesses and social life are closely linked to the activity of the factory installed for more than forty years.
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In Blavozy, in the Puy-en-Velay conurbation, the Michelin factory lives to the rhythm of three-eights and the production of tires for mining construction machinery. A niche market intended for export. Today, activity is slow and the machines will stop for six weeks. An employee indicates: “Like any employee of a company, we are worried. It's obligatory, given what we hear. We can only be worried”. Another employee points out: “We understand that there are many problems like war. But Michelin made big profits last year. There are many questions that remain unanswered”.
In the town of 1,700 inhabitants, the fate of the factory does not leave one indifferent. Michelin established itself at the end of the 1970s: it is the largest employer in Blavozy. Daniel Derail, butcher, says: “At the time, receiving Michelin was an event. It was good for everyone. Hopefully it lasts. I don't think there are too many concerns. There is a period of unemployment but everyone hopes that it will start again”. Stéphane, bartender, has as clients former Michelin workers and current employees who have been facing partial unemployment for several years. Stéphane Lallemand, bar owner, specifies: “We see on TV that factories are going to close and that the town of Blavozy may start to be worried. Michelin is huge for the city, with more than 500 employees. It would be a real shame to close this site which is essential to the life of Blavozy”.
Some Blavozy employees will join the demonstration organized in Clermont-Ferrand this Wednesday, November 13. Hervé Bancel, CGT union representative at Michelin Blavozy, insists: “We are alerting the entire population around because today there are 500 employees on the Blavozy site. Tomorrow, if the site were to close, there would be repercussions on the entire economy”.
The very particular production of the site can give hope for a good continuation of activity but the partial unemployment announced this end of the year is not a very reassuring sign.
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