- The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire announced Tuesday morning a plan of revival of the aeronautical sector of 15 billion euros to support businesses following the pandemic.
- If the Airbus unions mainly welcome this plan, the representatives of the subcontracting companies consider it too vague and fear for their future.
- Tuesday afternoon, nearly 300 employees of the company Derichebourg, one of the subcontractors of Airbus, demonstrated against the performance and competitiveness agreement currently under discussion with management to avoid a social plan.
After the announcements of Bruno Le Maire, who presented on Tuesday morning a plan to revive the aeronautics sector to the tune of 15 billion euros, reactions are varied in Occitania, where the sector represents more than 100,000 jobs.
If the majority union at Airbus salutes the effort of the State and the amounts committed, other union representations are more critical, in particular among subcontractors where social plans are already in the cards.
Have a cyclical crisis
For Jean-François Knepper, central union delegate FO Airbus, the majority union, “this plan will do a lot of good for the entire aeronautical sector, especially the subcontractors who are in great difficulty regarding their cash flow. This will allow us to get through this economic crisis until activity returns, as we can currently see in China ”. According to the union delegate, the announcement of this massive support plan made it possible to postpone a European Airbus committee on June 11, where job cuts could have been revealed.
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- MetallurgyCFECGC (@Metalcfecgc) June 9, 2020On the side of the CGT, the minority union, the enthusiasm is more measured and the announcements on the need for the development of the green plane, advocated by the minister, leave skeptics. "The next world is very much like the previous world, without changing the economic model and governance, tackle Xavier Petrachi, CGT Airbus delegate. The State announces investments for the green plane but certain programs like the hybrid plane E-FAN-X have been stopped. Will there be a leverage effect to resume these studies and support engineering? We don't know what exactly this money will be used for and who will benefit from it ”.
Concern among subcontracting companies
Despite the Minister's insistence on guarantees of continued employment on the part of major contractors, the subcontracting companies in the sector, dependent on orders from the aircraft manufacturer, remain worried about their future. Tuesday afternoon, between 250 and 300 employees of the company Derichebourg demonstrated in Blagnac against the agreement on performance and competitiveness (APC) currently negotiated with management. He plans to cut wages by around 20%, notably by removing the transport bonus, meal and the thirteenth month, to avoid layoffs.
"This recovery plan does not change anything for us and is unclear because we do not know how the money will be distributed, says an elected member of the Unsa union. The management takes as a pretext the pandemic to blow up social gains and this plan of the State will not vary their calendar. The next meeting on this CPA is to be held on Friday.
If the aeronautical mastodons seem reassured by the recovery plan, the subcontracting companies still do not see their future in pink. “These are billions given to banks and employers who will decide, via the investment fund, which subcontractor will be profitable or not and will survive, thinks Gaetan Gracia, CGT delegate at the Ateliers de la Haute-Garonne. There are no firm guarantees on continued employment. "
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