Employees in charge of cleaning at Renault’s Technocentre in Guyancourt (Yvelines) began a fifth day of strike on Monday to protest against the manufacturer’s decision to do without them on Friday, which could lead to the departure of 30 to 40 employees, according to the unions.
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The 120 employees of the cleaning company PEI are also demanding the end of partial unemployment to which they have been subject for two years and the payment of 100% of wages, against 75% currently. According to several trade unions, this measure would cause certain employees to lose up to 2 to 300 euros per month. “They tell us that there are not many people at Renault anymore with teleworking and that suddenly there is less need for cleaning, but the surface area does not change, we always clean the same surface.“, indignant Mohamed El Houl, FO staff representative at PEI. “There is a desire from management to save money by gradually closing on Fridays“, explains Mathieu Golinelli, CGT union representative for the Technocentre. “With teleworking, we are about 6000 (out of 9000) to badge during the week but on Fridays, we are only 2000, including service providers“, he continues.
The management has therefore chosen to close certain buildings on Fridays, even if “the Technocentre is not completely closed“says Mathieu Golinelli. One of the four restaurants on the huge R&D site, for example, remains open. Another concern for service providers like PEI: Renault’s decision to sell part of the buildings, again with a view to reducing costs. The SCI owner of the Technocentre and held by Renault will be sold at 80%. Then it is up to the investor to find new tenants related to the automobile but who are not competitors. The buildings sold must be released in stages between 2023 and 2025 and PEI employees fear that the new owner will not call on them.
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Renault has also set up in Guyancourt its “Software Republic», a technological alliance with other French groups such as Atos, Dassault, STMicroelectronics and Thales. According to the South union, the striking employees were prevented from entering the site on Monday by security agents called by Renault. Thursday, their badges had been invalidated. “This is no way to treat employees, the oldest of whom have worked at the Technocentre for 27 years.“wrote the strikers in a press release.
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