In New Caledonia, considerations about wages and employment | EUROtoday

The economic system of New Caledonia, the French archipelago within the South Pacific, was actually swept away by three weeks of riots, which destroyed a part of the Noumean conurbation, its financial coronary heart. Published on the event of a press convention bringing collectively the native authorities and representatives of the enterprise world, Friday May 31, the steadiness sheet already quantities to greater than 1 billion euros, to be in contrast with a home product annual gross home product (GDP) of round 10 billion. Nearly 500 firms have been destroyed or not have the capability to supply.

This evaluation, which relies on declarations to insurers, is nonetheless not exhaustive. Some SMEs have solely been capable of entry their premises very lately and the authorities have recalled that almost 30% of New Caledonian firms should not coated in opposition to dangers.

Before contemplating reconstruction, we must take care of emergencies, and the primary of those is payroll. “It’s the end of the month, we have ten days to pay salaries”, alerts Mimsy Daly, the president of Medef NC. Some firms whose monetary state of affairs was wholesome have been capable of pay their workers for the previous month, with out nonetheless having extra prospects. “I had a little cash left, but it’s over, I can’t anymore”, explains Xavier (he prefers to stay nameless), a enterprise supervisor who employs six folks in communications. With a lump in his abdomen, he must make selections within the very quick time period, and “it’s a matter of days”, earlier than having to resign themselves to placing their workers on unemployment. His firm has not been affected, however the majority of its contracts are suspended or canceled.

First serving to hand

Alexandre, supervisor of a number of catering firms, was already experiencing difficulties. One of those firms was ransacked and it’s actually unemployment that awaits round two thirds of the thirty individuals who make up its payroll. “Businesses that have not been directly affected and that are in non-essential areas of activity will experience big drops in activity. We fear closure for many of them”he testifies.

Initial assist to straight affected SMEs, confirmed yesterday by the South province, ought to present an preliminary enhance on the difficulty of salaries. But, whereas ready for different measures, like many enterprise leaders, Alexandre finds himself unable to pay something.

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