Video. In Acquigny, the baker goes on a hunger strike

Circled eyes, drawn features, pale face, Nadège Marais appears in a video published this Sunday morning on the page Facebook. The baker announces that she has been “on hunger strike for 75 hours. i am holding. I’ll go all the way […]. It is a question of justice ”.

“A year to make 600 meters of bitumen! “

Like many businesses in the country, Nadège Marais suffered a drop in turnover during the construction of the rue de Louviers and rue Aristide Briand where its two bakeries are located. Traders requested theConurbation Senna-Eurejob manager.

Received in early September by the president of the Seine-Eure Agglomeration Community, Bernard Leroy, the latter refused to compensate the traders individually, but advised them to create a trade union that could thus benefit from subsidies.

A solution that does not suit Nadège Marais and her colleagues:

“A union is used to create 60% subsidized events. So there would be 40% to our expense. And given the state of our finances, it’s not a union we need. We simply want to be compensated for the loss of turnover caused by the works ”.

Work “too long”, according to her: “A year to make 600 meters of bitumen! “.

The agglomeration refuses the commission

While worry gradually gave way to anger for several months, last Thursday the baker suffered a stroke when she received a phone call from Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Eure “I asked them to explain our situation to them. The person I spoke to explained to me that a commission could actually be set up to collect compensation. The Chamber of Commerce took care of everything on condition of having the approval of the President of the agglomeration ”. Only when the file manager announced to Nadège that Bernard Leroy did not want this commission, the shopkeeper whose loss of turnover is valued at 100,000 euros has decided to resort to drastic measures to the point of putting himself in danger by starting a hunger strike.

A decision that echoed all the way to Bernard Leroy’s office as the next day, Friday, the elected official paid a visit to Nadège Marais: “He offered me once again the creation of a business union, but it is not that he will solve the problems. our problems! ”, insists the trader who, peeling his rights, has read that an“ abnormal, certain and direct loss of turnover could generate an economic reward ”.

At the end of their interview during which the baker reminded the elected official that her two shops were inside legal redress – “and others will follow”, he says – Bernard Leroy admitted that “the works had been badly anticipated and that they lasted a year due to the lack of staff in the companies”, says the shopkeeper.

The hunger strike could spread

Nadège Marais is supported in her struggle by all the shopkeepers of the village, her customers who in turn wish her “good luck”, and also “by the customers of neighboring countries”, assures Catherine Jacotin, manager of the Vival grocery store who, located on rue Aristide Briand, it was also hit hard by road works:

“Invoices pile up, we have a 6-figure loss of revenue. We usually place orders worth around 8,000 euros every week. This week we are at 2,500 euros ”.

As a result, the shelves are less stocked, several products are no longer listed “to sell off stocks”. “If this continues we will close too,” fears Catherine Jacotin, whose husband, Pascal, is also ready to start a hunger strike to support all the merchants in his village.

Merchants in the city council

On Monday evening, six traders were invited to the municipal council of Acquigny. At the end of the session, the elected officials ended up giving them the floor. “Acquigny is a special village with ten shops for 1,200 inhabitants. A mayor must support his merchants. Today we are asked to create a trade union to animate the village when we do not have enough to pay our expenses. It’s a double danger! “, They recalled.

Faced with the unease of the traders, Mayor Patrick Collet announced that they would be heard again, at the Acquigny town hall in the presence of Bernard Leroy, president of the Seine-Eure agglomeration. The meeting had to take place Tuesday 11 October at 6pm. Case to follow.

Was this article helpful to you? Note that you can follow La Dépêche Louviers in the My news space. In one click, after registration, you will find all the news of your favorite cities and brands.