Closure of the Cholet and Vannes factories (1,200 jobs threatened), for the Michelin group. Closure of a factory in Ain (30 jobs lost) at the bicycle wheel manufacturer Mavic. Social plan to come at the automotive subcontractor Plastivaloire in Langeais. In Meurthe-et-Moselle, 48 of the 135 positions at Azur Production are threatened. And the list could be very long…
Between political uncertainties and economic tensions, particularly due to the cost of energy, French industry must face negative social dynamics. “It is estimated that more than 150,000 jobs will disappear, probably more. (…) We are at the start of a violent industrial bloodletting”declared Sophie Binet, the general secretary of the CGT, to La Tribune Sunday.
“The context is much more worrying than a year ago, when, with Martin Videlaine, we began writing our book. (…) Growth is slowing down and there is a lack of reaction which is alarming. This bad news fuels the discontent of a certain population. A factory closure, a job lost, there are family tragedies behind it,” observes Guillaume Caudron, co-author of the book “Reindustrialize” published by Dunod.
“The sauce of decline”
This “certain population” is neither more nor less than France's medium-sized towns, the first victims of these recent announcements of social plans. “In our country, 65% of industry is located in these medium-sized towns, or 49% of the population is concerned. The industrial culture is strong in these territories. However, we must be careful, following these announcements, not to create a two-speed France in industrial matters. In the collective imagination of the French, deindustrialization is linked to a feeling of vulnerability. It’s the basis of decline”warns political scientist Brice Soccol, author of the book “Do we all speak the same language? » alongside Frédéric Dabi.
At the dawn of the sixth anniversary of the start of the social movement of “yellow vests”, triggered from peri-urban and rural areas due to excessively high gasoline prices, the social and economic context brings together certain ingredients of a future social anger that could spread like wildfire, like the social plans that are emerging throughout the country.
“When a factory closes, first of all an ecosystem and services leave, but it also creates unemployment because people stay. In medium-sized cities, and particularly those with an industrial culture, there is a very significant territorial anchoring of the population, much more than those who live in large cities. This causes a certain anger or even frustration and sometimes this is reflected in the ballot papers,” analyzes Martin Videlaine.
Worry…before anger?
Like Cholet (Maine-et-Loire) and Vannes (Morbihan), two municipalities of around 55,000 inhabitants each, whose two Michelin factories will close by the beginning of 2026 at the latest. Two territories where the world leader in tires is one of the largest employers and two communities with full employment. But two cities where the reclassification of employees risks being complicated. In Vannes, where 299 employees are affected, the mayor (Horizons), David Robo, has few illusions: “People are very mobile, have bought a house, are repaying a loan… We will put pressure on Clermont-Ferrand to have commitments commensurate with the situation. There will be very strong individual support for employees,” the city councilor commits.
“This morning I visited a wooden pallet company which can hire 2-3 people, but it does not have the salary conditions of Michelin. There, they are rather well paid, receive bonuses, have a works council… The situation is dramatic for these 955 families with consequences on the work of the spouses in the event of a transfer. agrees Gilles Bourdouleix, mayor (UDR) of Cholet.
In both cases, the land belongs to the global tire giant. This does not prevent the mayor of Vannes from prospecting to find buyers for the site of 66,000 m² covered and 5 hectares of buildable land. In Cholet, the land is 40 hectares and Michelin has already mandated KPMG in this regard, assures Gilles Bourdouleix.
In addition to the automobile crisis, faced with a painful change towards electric mobility, the chemicals sector is also in great difficulty on a European scale in the face of Asian competition. Illustration in the Oise at Trosly-Breuil, near Compiègne, where the major WeylChem Lamotte announced a restructuring plan for 2025 for this site, even though it had invested 17 million euros between 2023 and 2024. This are 100 positions out of 400 which would thus be threatened in this town of 2,000 inhabitants.
Automotive: “The survival of the sector is at stake” (Luc Chatel, president of the automotive platform)
“It is an institution present here since the end of the 19th century which employs many subcontractors and which enlivens local businesses. Is this a first step or are we heading towards closing the factory? “, asks the mayor (without label) Sylvain Goupil. And let go: “Many know that the mayor can't do much. There is no anger, but astonishment, worry… Like everyone else, I don't know where we are going, except into the unknown. »
A feeling shared by the councilor (PS) of Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain), interim president of the association of elected officials Villes de France which carries the voice of these municipalities in the public debate: “We can clearly see that there has been an economic slowdown with industrial impacts for several weeks and, unfortunately, we know that there will be others in the months to come…”.
“Reindustrialization is a social project”
While Industry Week opens across the country from November 18, with more than 7,000 events in companies highlighting careers in industry, particularly among young people, can this same industry be the bedrock of a new large-scale social movement due to the difficulties it encounters?
“Deindustrialization generates a feeling of downgrading in medium-sized cities. These territories are also affected by the deterioration of public services, particularly in health. Finally, the general concern of the agricultural world is growing. These three factors can fuel a certain territorial anger. These three axes affect the majority of territories, where this feeling of inequality and of being forgotten is already present. (…) Industrial decline has been a narcissistic wound for 40 years from which we have not recovered,” analyzes Brice Soccol.
As part of their book “Do we all speak the same language? », the political scientist and Frédéric Dabi conducted a qualitative survey among different French people. If among urban dwellers, it is the value of freedom which rises in priority, among rural and peri-urban residents, it is the notion of equality which is important…
So, how can we erase this feeling of inequality anchored in territories and amplified by social shocks? “ You have to do a little sewing », Estimates Brice Soccol, with support territory by territory, in which the regional councils would be in charge. In this sense, he proposes at the same time the establishment of a plan to revive industry in the territories while the dynamic of reindustrialization in the country is stalling in a worrying manner.
The reindustrialization of France is stalling
« Reindustrializing is an issue of sovereignty, but it is also an issue of territorial cohesion », concedes Marc Ferracci, the delegate minister of Industry. “ No one can be against producing in their country. (…) Companies are a real place of life in our model of society and reindustrializing is a social project as such », persists entrepreneur Gilles Attaf, president of the French Forces of Industry. At a time when state revenues are at half mast and budgetary constraints are pushing economies, recreating industrial activity is also of interest to public authorities. “ Work is “the” source of wealth creation and therefore the best financing of our social system », concludes Guillaume Caudron.
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