Car maker Renault has started to boost production in France after an interruption since March 16 as part of the fight against the coronavirus epidemic, we learned on Wednesday from management. "The recovery will be done in an extremely gradual manner, with limited staff, which will gradually increase" in order to be able to verify the correct application of the health protocol, explained the director of human resources, Tristan Lormeau.
>> LIVE - Coronavirus: follow the evolution of the situation Wednesday April 22
"We have to show that we know how to work with the health protocol"
Three factories of the group, Cléon, in Seine-Maritime, which manufactures engines, Le Mans, in Sarthe, which produces chassis, and Choisy-le-Roi, in Val-de-Marne, which produces spare parts for re-employment, have already started a recovery "this week", said Patrice Haettel, the group's industrial director for France. The recovery will continue next week, with the Flins plant in the Yvelines, which notably assembles the electric city car Zoe.
"The other sites will follow until early May," said Patrice Haettel. He stressed that at the start there was no question of making large volumes but of resuming with very limited staff. "Today, we are preparing. We have to show that we know how to work with the health protocol, and therefore it will take a long time to be ready the day when our concessions will reopen," he said. Explain.
CORONAVIRUS ESSENTIALS
> How long are healthy carriers contagious?
> What are the side effects of chloroquine?
> Adulterated tests, false calls for donations ...: watch out for scams linked to the coronavirus
> Reading, board games ... How to stimulate your brain during confinement?
> How to avoid gaining pounds during confinement?
He underlined that this resumption came after several weeks of preparation with occupational medicine to prepare this protocol, in dialogue with the trade union organizations. Health security measures include taking the temperature of employees at the factory entrance, wearing protective equipment, cleaning and disinfecting workstations and reorganizing collective rooms.
The CGT criticizes the health protocol implemented
On the union side, Franck Daout, CFDT delegate, explained that "the factories should restart with 25% of employees on site", by "half-teams or quarter-teams", after "training on the posts to respect the barrier gestures ". Regarding the Flins site, "the order books for Zoe are full, customers are waiting for their vehicles," he said.
>> PODCAST - Coronavirus: find all the answers to your questions here
But the recovery is not unanimous. What "management has put in place" in terms of health protection, "it's not much," lamented Fabien Gache, CGT delegate, questioning the interest in resuming activity "if it is to take out only 50 cars in the day. "