“The minister was stunned by the way we were treated” according to a CFDT delegate

Michelin announced on Tuesday the closure of two of its factories, that of Vannes and that of Cholet, which employ more than 1,250 people.

“The minister was stunned by the way Michelin treated us”says Ludovic Robert, CFDT delegate from Michelin Cholet on Saturday November 9 on franceinfo, the day after Marc Ferracci's visit. The Minister Delegate in charge of Industry visited the site after the announcement of the closure of two Michelin factories, in Vannes, in Morbihan, and Cholet, in Maine-et-Loire, threatening more than 1,250 jobs.

The minister's visit was marked by tense exchanges with the hundreds of employees who came to demonstrate, yet the CFDT delegate remains confident: “I want to believe it because he came quickly, we were able to explain how it happened. I think the government does not appreciate [la décision de Michelin] and that’s going to be a strength for us.”

During his trip, the Minister Delegate in charge of Industry Marc Ferracci promised “lots of resources” and claimed to want to find “worthy solutions” for employees. Measures welcomed by Ludovic Robert, contrary to behavior “of certain political parties” : “for a few days, we have seen people come for the media moment, just five minutes to take a photo, to recover from a difficult moment that we are experiencing.”

The CFDT union asks Michelin to “put even more money than planned for employees, training, reclassification and revitalization of the site”.