“Before a vaccine, they think about making money”, launched Tuesday, January 19 a CGT delegate from Sanofi in front of the striking Marcy-l’Étoile site, near Lyon, where some 200 employees gathered to protest against job cuts.
This departure plan confirmed Monday by the pharmaceutical giant provides for 400 job cuts in the Research and Development (R & D) branch.
“We have nothing to expect from management. Before making a vaccine, they think about making money. Sanofi’s DNA is giving money to its shareholders, it is always doing more ”, deplores Tristan Teyssier, CGT delegate. “Nothing to expect from the State either, we saw Macron on the site, but he took care of the management.”
Downsize, “It’s still lamentable for a group like Sanofi […]. I think that shocked a lot of people, it’s 400 job cuts in research, whereas we need researchers ”, continues this maintenance technician.
Marcy-l’Étoile, which has 3,300 employees on permanent contracts and 5,000 including all the precarious and service providers, produces vaccines – that of Sanofi-Pasteur against Covid-19 will not be available until the end of the year – and it is one of the most important R & D sites of the group. The CGT on Tuesday estimated the number of strikers at 300.
“A fair distribution of wealth”
“We continue to dismantle research and development in France and then we will be surprised that we do not have a vaccine or drugs to put on the French and world market. It is still quite paradoxical. All this to save money “, adds Brahim Aniba, control technician, FO delegate.
The strike movement at the call of the intersyndicale (except CFTC) could be renewed on Wednesday.
“What we are asking for is a fair distribution of wealth for everyone, a reward for the efforts made over the years, between the people who were on site during the Covid period, the people who were also teleworking “, notes Thierry Legrand, elected CFDT, flow manager.
The 400 job cuts in R & D correspond “To what was announced in June”, had indicated Monday Olivier Bogillot, the president of France of Sanofi.
Sanofi announced last year the loss of 1,700 jobs in Europe, including a thousand in France, corresponding to the strategy implemented by the new boss of the group, Paul Hudson.
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