The employees of the Aveyron metallurgy company (SAM) spent Christmas at the factory. Dismissed after the liquidation of this Renault subcontractor in Aveyron, they intend to continue in January the occupation which has lasted for thirty-seven days, the staff representatives warned on Wednesday (December 29th).
They claim a “Compensation for the damage suffered” by the more than 300 employees of the company, highlighting that in this disaster-stricken region in terms of employment, professional reclassification will be difficult.
“It is not because the holidays have passed that the mobilization has declined, quite the contrary”, insists Sébastien Lallier, one of the staff representatives.
“We have occupied the factory for thirty-seven days and the employees voted unanimously to continue to occupy it throughout the month of January”, even beyond ” if necessary “, said Ghislaine Gistau, CGT delegate of SAM. “We celebrated Christmas there and we’re going to celebrate New Year’s Eve there too”, she asserted.
Philippe Martinez on site
As of next Monday, employees will decide at a general meeting on other actions to be taken in order to “Show at the start of the school year that we must not be buried”, said Sébastien Lallier. Some 230 people, according to Mr. Lallier, actively participate ” night and day “ to the occupation of the company whose number of employees is a little less than 350.
The secretary general of the CGT, Philippe Martinez, who is due to meet the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, next week, came to express his support for these employees during a press point held Wednesday afternoon in Viviez ( Aveyron), headquarters of the SAM, specified Mme Gistau.
Taken over in 2017 by the Chinese group Jinjiang, SAM, located on the heights of Decazeville, had been placed in receivership in December 2019, in liquidation with extension of activity on September 16, before the commercial court pronounced the cessation of activity on November 26.
Bercy appointed on December 13 a project manager to support SAM employees, believing that Renault should commit to “Financial support for each employee”. “Renault’s responsibility is clearly engaged”, while “The state is on a com exercise. Nothing has changed “, regretted Mme Gistau.