Social: employees of Areva deal with the shock – Release

whammy was expected by employees since the announcement on 4 March, an abysmal loss of nearly € 5 billion just for 2014. And the range is in line with what the unions feared . But the shock is tough, of course. Areva will remove 3 000 to 4 000 jobs in France, of 5 000 to 6 000 in total in the world, as part of a plan to reduce costs by 1 billion euros by 2017, for “restore competitiveness” of the former flagship of the French nuclear now on the verge of bankruptcy. The group, which employs 28,520 people in France about 44 000 in total, account and “reduce personnel costs by 15% in France and 18% in the world” to return “a free cash flow positive,” as saying the financial gray suit.

This Thursday in the first hour, the Group General Manager nuclear, Philippe Knoche, flanked by his super HRD, François Nogué, recent defector from the SNCF, has announced the painful union representatives summoned Areva Tower, Defense, for a first scoping meeting a beautifully plan entitled “Contract transition to three-year investment and economic safeguard the group. ” Sure, in Newspeak human resources, slap it better than “social plan”. But it is a drastic downsizing in question: Unionist memory is even “heaviest in the history of the French nuclear industry,” laments Bruno Blanchon, head of the Atomic Energy branch of mining and energy federation CGT and incidentally specialist “radiation protection” to the waste reprocessing plant at La Hague will be badly affected.

“All levers “

The details of job cuts is not yet known. “The precise impact on employment will be discussed with the trade unions” under negotiation meetings that will begin May 12 and will last until the end of June, prudently the group said. But even if management intends to perform on the “all the levers” (remuneration, organization and working time …) and focus on departures “voluntary” job cuts should touch the top of the range: 4000 in France. And unions are doing their account: “If we manage up to 2,500 volunteers to the start-stop, it means that there will be 1500 redundancies forced” Evariste warns Pascal, Central CGT Areva.

Geographically, concern is also great, although management promised that “The most important effort will focus on support functions, and corporate headquarters.” According to our information, the Beaumont-La Hague site, where 100 job cuts have already been announced, the risk of losing 500 jobs in 3200 Areva NC (formerly Cogema) and 5,000 in total. When we know that the Hague is the largest employer of the Cotentin … Other key sites of the group, such as plant-Chalon Saint-Marcel (where one builds EPR) and the uranium enrichment plant Georges Besse II in Tricastin in the Rhone Valley, should also be affected.

“Scuttle the nuclear industry”

Abroad, 1,500 job cuts already announced in Germany and “several hundred in the United States.” and We arrive at 6000 in total, or 15% of group employees. Of the one billion savings planned by 2017, 600 million and will cover the payroll. A Plan “unanimously denounced” by the Inter (CGT, CFDT, CFE-CGC, FO, UNSA) Areva because by focusing “efforts solely on employees without opening any perspective. “

The powerful Federal mining and energy CGT believes it, that ” The state has decided to scuttle the nuclear industry, satisfying a logical financial and competitiveness to the detriment of industrial logic “ future. And Bruno Blanchon founded fear that bleeding “a tragic loss of skills” for French Nuclear, whose image is already tarnished by the setbacks of the EPR reactor in Flamanville and Finland.

Bonus frames or planed deleted

Sent coal to “sell” this plan to the press, HRD Areva François Nogué obviously think just the opposite: “We will everything to preserve the competence and know-how ["know-how", ed] group. This savings plan is necessary if we are in capacity to ensure our investments, our development. “ And everyone will make efforts, as ” 5000 framework “ and higher leaders will see their bonus removed or planed.

Accuracy useful after the controversy about retirement 300 000 hat affected by the president of Areva, Philippe Varin, as a former boss of PSA . But with a loss of 4.8 billion euros over 8 billion in revenue and a debt of 5.8 billion), this plan will not be enough to save the group. This is actually a prerequisite for maneuvers that follow in the coming months. “This is to make the most beautiful bride before breaking up the” Pascal indignant Evariste CGT.

On the table of the State shareholder 87% of Areva, … more scenarios that can be combined: probable sale of Areva NP reactors branch (formerly Framatome) EDF, the possible maintenance branch Engie (formerly GDF Suez), and entry of Chinese giants CGN CNNC Nuclear and capital of the rest of Areva. The former “champion” of the French nuclear deprived of his heart craft reactors and reduced to the former Cogema (mining and enrichment of uranium, reprocessing waste)? Paradoxically, it is the shared nightmare of the unions and the management of Areva, which try, each in turn, to defend the integrity of the group, even if they will oppose hard on heavy ahead socially.