“We are not going to die without saying anything”, says an employee of the Printemps du Shopping promenade Riviera store (formerly Polygone Riviera) which will permanently close its doors on February 28. This Saturday at 3 p.m., employees of the Qatari fund brand Divine Investments SA walked off the job for an hour to make their voices heard.
There were around twenty of them supported by the CGT Commerce who mobilized on the square in front of the open-air center in Cagnes-sur-Mer.
“We are in the middle of negotiations to find out what we will become. And what is coming is unacceptableprotests Caroline Berdegay, CGT Printemps union delegate. The reclassifications proposed internally would force employees to move to Toulon or Marseille at best. The severance packages are also not up to par. And what about external reclassification leave which is far too short to truly train for a new profession?
“More future in retail”
The 47 employees are worried, because the negotiations must end on January 7. “The employees are lost, stressed. Twenty-four are over 50, single women with children, etc. This is unacceptable. And there are also people employed by the brands directly, work-study workers, staff security and maintenance. What will become of them? worries Faïza el Alami, elected CGT to the central social and economic committee of Printemps.
“The consulting firm following the closure of the site clearly told us that there was no longer any future in retail on the Côte d’Azur. So what should we do?”asks Erika Murillo, CGT Printemps union representative.
When contacted, Printemps management did not respond to our requests. A new meeting between the unions and management should take place on December 6.
For Dominique Larose, CGT Commerce 06, “Other mobilizations could be considered if the negotiations do not move forward.”
