9 a.m. A small marquee has been erected in front of the entrance to the Michelin factory in Vannes. An inter-union group gathered around a coffee “in support of employees”. The announcement is not yet official, but everyone senses that the summons sent the day before to the 300 employees of the factory bodes very bad news. These employees are gathered in the factory, with their director, Claudia Netodea, as their interlocutor.
They have not yet emerged when one of the group's executives, from Clermont-Ferrand, begins the press conference which will formalize the closure of the Vannes factory “by the end of 2025”. “We are measuring the impact this will have on employees. We will support them to get through this difficult milestone,” assures Xavier Pesche. For the industrial director of the Michelin group, there was no “prospect of recovery” for this factory “regularly in a situation of structural overcapacity”.
“It hurts”
Xavier Pesche talks about “competition from Chinese tires” and “the radical transformation of the heavy goods vehicle market in Europe”. The Vannes factory, which produces metal frames, also pays for its isolation, according to this group executive. “It is penalized by its very small size and is the one furthest from our customers and metal suppliers. »
I started working here when I was very young. My whole family worked there.
The workers of Vannes would have liked to hear these arguments. Many of them regretted that a manager from the industrial group did not come to meet them. In small groups, employees pass through the turnstile which marks the entrance to the factory. The mines are closed. Even though most expected this outcome, the blow is hard. “I’m really moved. I started working here when I was very young. My whole family worked there. It hurts,” comments Fabrice Jégouzo, 49 years old, including 26 years at Michelin. Most do not see themselves working on another site of the group, necessarily far from Vannes. “But in the sector, we will have difficulty finding a factory that would offer us a comparable salary level. The food industry is not the same. »
Strike in Cholet, not in Vannes
Production is shut down all week. It should resume on Tuesday November 12. In Vannes, there is currently no question of a strike movement, unlike the Cholet factory (900 employees) whose closure was also announced this Tuesday. In the coming days, employees will have discussions with their managers where they will be presented with the support measures that management intends to put in place. The average age of employees in the Prat area is 47 years, with an average seniority of 20 years.
There is also the question of the future of the site, 5 ha of buildings, on an area of 15 ha. “We are going to look for a buyer, but it will be difficult. We will look for solutions to revitalize the site,” says Xavier Pesche. Michelin is also committed “to recreating at least as many jobs within a 50 km radius”.
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