Less than a week after the Toulouse Commercial Court finally sealed, on Friday November 26, the judicial liquidation and the immediate cessation of activity of the Aveyron Company of Metallurgy (SAM), Renault announces financial support for employees.
“Renault will work with the legal representatives to build with them, given the exceptional situation, the way in which Renault will provide individualized support to each employee of the SAM, for retraining and financial support”, promised Jean-Dominique Senard, the chairman of the board of directors of the French car manufacturer, Tuesday, November 30, in Flins-sur-Seine (Yvelines).
Renault management presented on Tuesday the conversion of part of its historic Flins site into a used vehicle reconditioning plant, with former assembly line employees. In parallel with a large plan of job cuts, the manufacturer also plans to hire 2,000 employees for its French factories over the next three years, in particular on its new Electricity division, which brings together three sites in the north of France.
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“We have the will to support and not let people down, not the activity”, added Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault. “The case of SAM is quite exceptional. But it is also a systemic problem. With the ecological transition, the switch to electric, we are going to have this type of situation ”.
SAM, which employs some 350 people, was placed in liquidation on September 16. Friday, November 26, the Toulouse commercial court sealed its cessation of activity after Renault’s refusal to support the only project to take over this plant located in Viviez, near Decazeville (Aveyron).
The Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, acknowledged on Saturday that the closure of the SAM was a ” failure “, but pledged not to “Not to let down the employees”. “It is not because the SAM is closing that the industrial site must close”, he said during a trip to Toulouse. On Monday, the Minister for Industry, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, said “Confident” in the reclassification of employees “Because they have skills that are in demand today”.
A demonstration of support for SAM employees and their families is scheduled for Wednesday at the call of several collectives and unions.