After the amazement comes anger. Within hours the employees of Areva, specializes in nuclear energy giant, learned the news of the removal of 5,000 to 6,000 jobs worldwide, including 3,000 to 4,000 in France. This publication comes as part of a recovery plan, a first for the public group.
The exact figure will depend on the outcome of negotiations with unions, said the group, which aims to reduce its personnel costs “of around 15% in France and 18% in total worldwide” by job cuts, but also internal mobility measures, moderation compensation or reorganization of working time.
Areva staff costs now reaching 3.5 to 4 billion euros, a level that is no longer sustainable in relation to 8 billion total Group business, faced with the stagnation of the nuclear market, said Human Resources Director François Nogué.
This social component will achieve about two-thirds of plan savings of one billion euros by 2018 announced in March, while efforts on purchases will provide the remaining third, the company said.
This savings plan ” is necessary if we want to be ability to ensure our investments, our development “ said Mr. Nogué, recalling that the EBITDA generated by Areva does not currently sufficient to finance its investments.
“The effort will be more important for the support functions, corporate headquarters and” (ie administrative positions and other central functions), to preserve the skills of group in nuclear activities, he added.
The variable bonus, concerning around 5,000 executives, will drop significantly, also highlighted the HRD.
Opening of negotiations
The French giant atom met Thursday morning the five unions represented in the group, to inform them of these measures and the opening of negotiations. A first meeting was held on May 12, followed by others until June to “structured social dialogue and the management of employment and skills in 2015, 2016 and 2017″.
The CEO of Areva, Philippe Knoche has repeatedly said that the group would do anything for that, if there must be departures, they do so on a voluntary basis.
The government is on the same line: the Ministry of Economy said in a statement to AFP that he “Areva asked that everything be done to avoid forced redundancies” .
For its part, the CGT believes that “The state has decided to scuttle the nuclear industry, satisfying a financial logic and competitiveness to the detriment of industrial logic meeting the current and future needs, “.
Areva, which showed a net loss of almost 5 billion euros last year, has already announced the elimination of 1,500 jobs in Germany of 2017 and also hired a separation plan of “a few hundred” of people in the United States. The company has laid off 170 employees in Niger on its uranium mine Imouraren (North), whose construction has been suspended since last August.
The always expected financing plan
Areva also has to complete its financing plan, which will be based in particular on a rapprochement with the public electrician EDF, already close partners in the nuclear group.
While discussions on the future strategy is underway, especially with the state, two scenarios are on the scale, namely a total sale of Areva NP branch (reactors and engineering) to EDF, or a reconciliation of engineering under the control of EDF. In this scenario, Areva could seek outside partners in certain activities (mines, reactors, maintenance, etc.).
press reports have reported particular interest Engie ( former GDF Suez) for the maintenance activities of the reactors, or the Chinese giants CGN nuclear and CNNC, already partners Areva and EDF on the construction of two EPRs in China, for reactor division.
CNNC has said publicly “open to all forms of cooperation” , and referred the “preliminary contacts” about it. Thursday, Areva leaders have stuck to recall the existence of partnerships with Chinese groups.
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