Stéphane Place, edited by Laura Laplaud 7:40 a.m., February 11, 2022

This is a new international breakthrough for Dassault, which has accumulated nearly 255 orders.

Indonesia has signed a contract to order 42 aircraft from France.

From now on, a challenge arises: to increase the rate of production while a social conflict has been going on for several months.

Employees are demanding wage increases commensurate with company profits.

It is a flagship of French industry, the Rafale manufactured by Dassault.

But the company is now experiencing a major crisis.

It has been facing a social conflict for several months: employees are demanding wage increases commensurate with the company's profits.

Anger that won the Mérignac site, in Gironde.

Insufficient salary increase

A small pile of charred wood, the remains of an improvised brazier in front of the Dassault factory in Mérignac.

Here, as on other sites, walkouts, demonstrations and filtering dams are linked over the weeks.

In question, insufficient wage increases, despite the agreement signed in mid-December between management and two unions, the majority between them.

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It is not enough when the order book is overflowing, explains Anthony Dupuis, CGT delegate.

"The mandatory annual negotiations at Dassault have been signed for 32 euros net for a non-executive employee. Today, we have managed to bring the CEO back to the negotiating table. We are at 57 euros net for an employee “, he launches.

"The Rafale works very well, the civilian leaves exceptionally in sales level. The CGT asks for 200 euros net for all employees, executives and non-executives."

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A movement that slows down production, says the CGT.

Cédric Guzman, 24 years of seniority at Dassault and staff representative, works in logistics.

"For example, there are fuselages that have been blocked in certain sites in Mérignac, but of course, if you don't have a fuselage, you can't assemble the parts and therefore the planes fall behind. The Rafale is impacted, the civilian is impacted."

For its part, Dassault says it is acting to reduce delays and ensures for the moment that it is able to deliver the elements between establishments and the planes to the customers.