“Renault has made fun of us since 2021”: the closure of the Fonderie de Bretagne makes Lorient elected officials react

“The masks are falling, particularly that of Renault.” While the municipal council was discussing an investment in the capital of the company QAir CS Caudan – for the installation of a solar panel park around the Fonderie de Bretagne site – municipal elected officials were keen to react to the closure of the Caudanaise foundry, announced this Friday, December 20, 2024, at the end of the morning. While presenting the slip in question, Bruno Paris, deputy in charge of ecology and energy transition, wanted to provide his support “to the employees as well as their loved ones”. Support shared by Gaëlle Le Stradic, member of the opposition (Lorient in common).

“A company in reconversion”

“For four years, employees have shown remarkable combativeness,” insists the elected official. How can we understand that on the eve of Christmas, a large group like Renault is putting 300 employees out of work? (…) The decision is unfair, inexcusable… We feel anger at the attitude, cynical we can say, of Renault.”

In front of her, Fabrice Loher, mayor of Lorient, still wants to maintain hope by mentioning a possible “resumption plan” to come. But the councilor wanted to make things clear, pointing the finger at the responsibility of the car manufacturer: “It’s an immense human and industrial waste. The masks are falling, first that of Renault… Renault has made fun of us since 2021, insists Fabrice Loher. We were not asking Renault to support a company in difficulty but to support a company undergoing reconversion,” continues the mayor.

A “scandalous” attitude

If he is not “targeting anyone” in the council room, the mayor agrees: “We cannot have a speech on degrowth, we cannot have a speech against the automobile industry and shed crocodile tears when it happens . I target those who bear this responsibility.”

A sharp arrow which did not fail to provoke a reaction from Gaël Briand, advisor to the opposition (UDB): “Renault has wanted to get rid of this asset for years. We have been alongside employees since 2010,” recalls the elected official who insists on the tool available in the region. “A tool like a foundry doesn’t just make automobile parts. This one, yes, because we didn’t look elsewhere.” And to finish on the “attitude” of Renault, considered “scandalous”.