In Normandy, “these are the two industrial lungs of Andelys which are disappearing” | EUROtoday

The firm is situated on Route de la Paix, however on website, the decor is now not peaceable. A makeshift model, wearing a white jumpsuit, hangs by the neck from an indication on the manufacturing facility entrance, with writing on the chest in capital letters “French employees sacrificed”. Behind him, banners are held on the gates: “85 families on the street” Or “Les Andelys industrial desert”… The Norman firm Europhane, which has been manufacturing public lighting in Les Andelys, in Eure, for greater than half a century, is because of shut in January 2025. Its proprietor, the Austrian group Zumtobel, introduced this on October 16 throughout of a unprecedented social committee.

This new social plan in French trade, after these introduced at Michelin and ArcelorMittal, took everybody abruptly – staff, union representatives, native elected officers – and threatens 85 jobs. Europane administration didn’t wish to reply to the Worldhowever in keeping with a union supply, Zumtobel, which has a turnover of greater than 1 billion euros, has chosen to reorganize its manufacturing by relocating its factories situated in Austria and France to Serbia and the United Kingdom.

In Andelys, Europhane staff went on strike for 3 weeks. “But we had to go back to work because it was starting to weigh financially on many employees”explains Frédéric Galian, the CFDT union delegate. For these staff, the hope of saving their jobs is lifeless, however they’re combating for the quantity of their severance pay. “We want to leave with dignity and force management to take into account all our years spent here”confides Frédérique Jullien, a chandelier airline pilot for thirty-five years at Europhane. At his facet, his colleague Marie-José Lebray, a cable fitter with twenty-seven years of seniority, has issue masking his anger. “We hear about the social plans on television, but this concerns us, it’s very violent. It was announced to us like that, in a few minutes, without any humanity, boom, it’s over! »she chokes.

“Social dumping”

A brand new assembly between the unions and Europhane administration is deliberate for Thursday, November 21 to attempt to negotiate a “supralegal” redundancy bonus. “It’s a standoff that’s starting, nevertheless it’s additionally an ordeal, explains Franck Théroude, CGT union consultant. Of the 85 workers who will lose their jobs, the typical age is 54 years outdated with thirty-one years of seniority on common. Suffice to say that at these ages, it is rather tough to search out work within the space. »

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