The Breton family group Rocher (formerly Yves Rocher, cosmetics), weakened by a drop in its sales, plans to cut 300 jobs over three years, mainly in Brittany, we learned on Tuesday January 31 from The direction.
These job cuts, without dry layoffs, are part of an agreement Management of jobs and professional careers (GEPP), signed on January 16 by the majority trade unions, said management. An information meeting for employees on the content of this PPIM was held on Tuesday, according to a union source.
This PPIM “contains a set of measures spread over three years to adapt the organization of our Breton industrial sites and offer professional development prospects to employees in line with the wishes they may have expressed”, the management told Agence France-Presse (AFP). This meeting took place the day after an exceptional central social and economic committee on Monday, according to the same source.
“Exogenous economic factors (Covid, the geopolitical situation, inflation, etc.) and endogenous factors (the fall in mail-order/mail order sales, in particular) have weakened the group”explained the management.
Gathering in front of the Ploërmel factory
About fifty employees participated in a rally in front of the Ploërmel factory on Tuesday, we learned from a union source, according to which the closure of the site, which employs 108 employees on permanent contracts, should take place. “end of 2025/beginning of 2026”.
At Ploërmel, the majority of employees are “women, often over 50, with low qualifications. All the conditions are met to make them long-term unemployed”lamented Pierrick Simon, departmental secretary Force Ouvrière du Morbihan, asked by AFP.
The trade unionist stressed that these employees will be particularly penalized by the latest law which restricts the duration and the amount of unemployment benefits as well as by the one that the government wants to have adopted on the postponement of the retirement age to 64 years. “They are the ones who will pay the high price”he said.
In addition to its original brand, Yves Rocher, the Rocher group, present in 114 countries, owns several brands, including Arbonne, Petit Bateau and Dr Pierre Ricaud. In 2021, the group employed 16,300 people and cosmetics represented 78% of its turnover.