Michel Barnier wants to “know” what Auchan and Michelin did with “donated public money”

Two factory closures and 1,200 employees condemned by Michelin, nearly 2,500 to be cut at Auchan. Announcements of social plans in France are flying around at the start of the week and are worrying the government.

Michel Barnier thus affirmed this Tuesday before the National Assembly that he wanted to “know” what the Auchan and Michelin groups did “with the public money that we gave them. I want to know it. And so we are going to ask questions and we will see if this money was used well or poorly to learn lessons,” the Prime Minister explained.

“Strong vigilance” regarding the reclassification of employees

Traveling in Pas-de-Calais, the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry, Antoine Armand, considered that the site closures announced by Michelin and Auchan were “obviously extremely worrying”. Concerning Auchan, which plans to cut 2,389 jobs in France, the State will ensure that “employment remains at the heart of the strategy” of the group and that “the priority of this transformation is indeed employment”.

The minister also said he “regretted” Michelin's decision to close its Cholet (Maine-et-Loire) and Vannes (Morbihan) factories by 2026, which have a total of 1,254 employees. “The State will be extraordinarily vigilant” regarding the reclassification of “all employees” affected and will do “everything possible to help find a buyer” for one or both sites, the minister further promised.