After a strike on Friday, employees of the Renault Maubeuge factory mobilized on Saturday morning at 10 a.m., headed for the town hall, to say no to the Renault brand's global savings plan. The latter plans 15,000 job cuts around the world, including 4,600 in France, but no dry layoffs, says the group. This does not prevent concerns about the future of the various sites of the manufacturer, as in Maubeuge.
"We all know someone who works here"
The 2,000 protesting employees fear in particular a partial relocation of their activities to Douai. "If it closes, the whole corner is dead," said Hugues, an employee of the factory for 5 years. "From here around 40 kilometers away, a lot of unemployment will ensue. It's really worrying: there is only that big factory in the area. We all know someone who works here, so inevitably, we will be directly or indirectly impacted by all of this, "he testified.
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The employee therefore considers having to look for work further from home. "It's very scary. We will wait to see what the final decision is, but we will have to keep moving to find work, and then here it is."
Tuesday, Emmanuel Macron asked the manufacturer Renault that "all employees (sites) of Maubeuge and Douai can have all the guarantees on their future" within the group.