The plan of some 8 billion euros announced by Emmanuel Macron to revive the automobile will not prevent the massive job cuts expected in this sector. French automaker Renault plans to cut about 15,000 jobs worldwide, including 4,600 in France, as part of a savings plan of 2 billion euros over three years, we learned Thursday evening from concordant sources.
The project, which must be made public on Friday morning, was presented to union organizations on Thursday evening during a group social and economic committee (CCSE). He plans to downsize “Without dry layoff”, through voluntary departures, non-replaced retirements and internal mobility or retraining measures, these sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Reduced production capacities
The group’s global production capacities should be reduced, from 4 million vehicles currently to around 3.3 million, on a two-team basis (which corresponds to a higher potential real production by adding a third team) .
Renault will suspend plans to expand factories in Morocco and Romania, plans to cut production capacity in Russia, and also cut mechanical activities in South Korea and the manufacture of gearboxes in Turkey.
The project includes in France the shutdown of automobile production in Flins (Yvelines), after the end of the Zoe, within a few years. The factory, which currently employs 2,600 people, will however be converted and will recover the activity of the Choisy-le-Roi site (Val-de-Marne), which employs 260 people in the repair of used engines and gearboxes as reuse parts.
The future of the Foundry of Brittany, with nearly 400 employees in Caudan (Morbihan), remains pending with a “Strategic review” announced. Same thing for the factory in Dieppe (Seine-Maritime), where a reflection will be initiated for “A conversion project at the end of production of the Alpine 110”.
Finally, the merger of the Douai and Maubeuge sites in the North is planned to create a center of excellence for electric and light utility vehicles.
“Everything is already decided”
In France, a procedure“Information-consultation” staff representatives will start “From mid-June”, according to a union source. A group board of directors was convened Thursday evening.
According to concordant sources, the savings plan of 2 billion euros is distributed for around a third on production, a third on engineering and a third on structural, marketing and network costs.
Questioned by the AFP at the end of the CCSE, Franck Daout, central union delegate of the CFDT, wished “A method agreement” for the implementation of the plan, “With expertise on the sites, locally, starting as early as possible”. Regarding the social impact of the job cuts, Mr. Daout stressed that it will be “Natural retirements and voluntary departures”.
“They’re smart. They present it as working hypotheses, say we will do it with you” when everything is already decided “, however, criticized another union official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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