Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Alstom freezes its plan to Belfort, pending a meeting with the government – The World

Belfort during a protest against the shutdown  of the production plant by Alstom, on the 24th of  September.

The project of partial closure of the Belfort site is frozen, waiting for the rescue plan promised by the government, announced Monday, September 26, union officials, at the conclusion of a central committee of company. According to Claude Mandart (CFE-CGC), the CEO of Alstom, Henri Poupart-Lafarge, confirmed the suspension of the plan ” until we have a meeting with the government, a priori, by the 4 October “, the date of the next committee of the european group.

Read also : Alstom : a critical week for the future of the site of Belfort

During a central works council (CEC) special dedicated to the strategy of Alstom and the historical factory of the manufacturer by rail, where 400 jobs, about 480 are under threat, Mr. Poupart-Lafarge has explained the overall strategy of ” efficiency “ group and the ” context “ – sector, and in addition it is explained on the future reserved for the site of Belfort, according to the unions interviewed by the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

” Alstom is apparently in a constructive dialogue with the government, “ but ” on the solutions envisaged, it did not say anything, it is entrenched behind the current discussions “, regretted Claude Mandart. the ” It was a meeting for nothing, he hasn’t learned anything new. He waits for the decisions of the government which should take place by the end of the week or early next week “, told AFP Daniel Dreger (CGT).

“responses” by ” the end of the month “

The manufacturer has announced, on the 7th of September, wanting to transfer the production of locomotives in Belfort in Reichshoffen, a commune in alsace, located 200 kilometres, to keep in the factory in the franche-comte region of maintenance activities.

The secretary of State for industry, Christophe Sirugue, promised to the unions ” answer “ by ” the end of the month “ to save Belfort. But no appointment is registered, this week, to its agenda. the ” An alternative plan (…) is reachable, but it is still necessary to validate a few steps “, told the World a source close to the dossier, referring to the dates of the 3 or 4 October, and a plan that ” global “ for the twelve Alstom sites in France.

Read analysis : Alstom : the State seeks a total solution to save the group

The 9 000 group employees in France are called Tuesday for the strike by the inter-union (CFE-CGC, CGT, CFDT, FO), which organises a demonstration in front of the headquarters in Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis). Symbolically, they chose to chartering a TGV to come to Belfort and Ornans (Doubs). On the same day, the president and CEO of Alstom, Mr. Poupart-Lafarge, will be auditioned at the national Assembly by the economic affairs committee.

seven months of the presidential election, the future of the site of Belfort became a political issue nationally, especially as the State owns 20% of the capital of Alstom. François Hollande has made its maintenance a ” objective “, anxious to avoid an explosion similar to the closure of the blast furnaces of Florange, in Lorraine, at the beginning of his five-year term.

To return to Alstom on its decision, the executive is exploring ways to bring ” orders “ to the group and, more generally, to perpetuate the French rail sector, neglected for over a decade by successive governments, according to the trade unions. Behind the scenes, the government has put pressure on SNCF, requested to enter into an immediate negotiation with Alstom for the purchase of six TGV for the Paris-Turin-Milan.

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