PSA Peugeot Citroen’s hardline CGT union says it will continue its strike at the automaker’s Aulnay plant near Paris and has promised unspecified further action in its bid to halt the factory’s proposed closure.
The CGT has organised the strike at Aulnay for several months now with up to 300 workers effectively slashing production to between just 30 and 50 vehicles per day.
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The wind appears to have taken slightly from the CGT’s sails with this week’s decision by the Paris High Court to reject a legal challenge to Aulnay’s closure and the approval by the majority of PSA’s other unions of the automaker’s social plan surrounding the site, but the hardline labour body is vowing to carry on.
“We have been expecting this vote, it does not really change anything,” CGT union delegate, Jean-Pierre Mercier, told French television. “The strike at Aulnay will continue.
“The members of the CCE [Works Council], they can vote ten, 100, 1,000 times [on] the shameful redundancy plan. Production is still paralysed, the strike has energy and force and we will continue until we obtain satisfaction.
“If the management really does not propose an acceptable agreement, of course we will make surprise actions. It is a combative management that wants to crush workers to protect the profits of its shareholders.”
The CGT representative spoke of “11,200” redundancies envisaged, but PSA has only previously mentioned up to 8,000 job cuts.
The automaker was not immediately available either at its Paris headquarters at Avenue de la Grande Armee in the French capital, nor at the factory as today (1 May) is a public holiday.
However, the manufacturer issued a statement on Monday (29 June) noting: “At today’s Central Works Council meeting, five of the six labour unions, CFE/CGC, CFDT, CFTC, FO and SIA/GSEA, issued a favourable opinion on measures to support employees affected by the PSA Peugeot Citroën Group’s industrial restructuring plan.
“Local Works Council meetings will be held in the days ahead at all of the sites concerned in France. Once these meetings have taken place, mobility solutions will be initiated immediately.”
Large scale demonstrations and rallies are expected to be held in Paris and other French cities today as unions use the traditional May Day public holiday to show their feelings towards the government of President Francois Hollande.
