The Prime Minister regrets a policy destroying jobs on the part of both groups. He calls for Michelin and Auchan to work with the local community to support employees whose jobs are threatened.
Michel Barnier wants explanations. Above all, the Prime Minister wants “know” what Auchan and Michelin did “public money that we gave them”, as the two groups plan to close several sites with thousands of jobs at risk. “I’m not proud […] of a policy that would destroy jobs, never”, a underlined the head of government before the National Assembly this Tuesday, November 5. What happened to this public money, “I want to know, insisted Michel Barnier. And so we are going to ask questions and we will see if this money was used well or poorly to learn lessons.
Comments to which the two groups were quick to react. Contacted by AFP, Auchan replied that “the annual reduction in charges of 83 million granted under the CICE between 2013 and 2018 was entirely used for the objectives targeted by this system”, notably the redistribution “purchasing power to its employees”.
For its part, Michelin recalls that it no longer receives the CICE, transformed in 2019 into a lasting reduction in social security contributions. The tire manufacturer also indicates that it has received 42 million euros from the State in 2023, mainly through the Research Tax Credit, which it considers “very important” pour “making researchers competitive”.
“We must create or recreate industrial employment”
The Prime Minister takes his place “disagree” with the decision of the Michelin automobile group to close its sites in Vannes (Morbihan) and Cholet (Maine-et-Loire), where a total of 1,254 employees work. He indicated that he had met his CEO, Florent Menegaux, “a few days ago”. The distributor Auchan plans to cut 2,389 jobs, notably through the closure of around ten stores, in an attempt to revive itself after several complicated exercises.
Michel Barnier hopes that these groups can “working with the local fabric, local elected officials […]unions, local employers, chambers of commerce” pour “put […] together all the tools we have to support each employee individually and support these territories in the possibility of reconversion.
“We must create or recreate industrial employment, as well as maintain agricultural employment in our country,” reiterated the head of government, referring to the creation in early 2025 of a “industrial savings book”, as well as “European responses” with “less naivety” facing foreign competition “not always loyal”.
