Paris (AFP)
The Minister of Labor Elisabeth Borne assured Friday on Sud-Radio that the State would not "let down the elected officials and the employees" of Bridgestone which wants to close in 2021 its tire factory in Béthune (Pas-de-Calais) where work 863 employees.
"We will not let the elected officials down, we will not let the employees down," said Ms. Borne, confirming that she would go to the Bridgestone site in Béthune on Monday with the Minister of Industry Agnès Pannier-Runacher for the "meet" and "see what we can do, what are the next steps".
Contacted Friday by AFP, the management of Bridgestone indicated that it would also participate in this meeting with elected officials and unions, the "modalities (being) being organized".
"There is an absolute mobilization for this site", assured on Europe 1 the spokesperson of the government Gabriel Attal who "believes in political pressure" and underlines "a form of political harmony around this file", ensuring to work " hand in hand "with Xavier Bertrand, the president of the region.
"We will do everything to find a future for these employees," he added, regretting, however, that "social dialogue has not been present in this company".
"This announcement, it is brutal, it is extremely shocking; announcing the closure of a site which today employs 863 employees without any alternative study is not responsible", lamented Ms. Borne, saying to expect the company "that she assumes her responsibilities, that she looks at all the scenarios".
"There are very powerful tools that are put in place by the state," said the minister, citing "the long-term partial activity that helps protect jobs", and others that allow, "in as part of the recovery plan ", to" modernize industrial tools ".
"The company must explain to us why it does not () seize it and how it can seize all these tools", she repeated, explaining that there was not "unfortunately "compulsory" counterpart to public aid.
Asked also about the government ordinance of May 20 which makes possible the takeover of a company by a shareholder who has himself placed it in receivership, Ms. Borne felt that it was necessary to "re-examine" this text "which was intended to allow the maximum chances of business takeovers".
"We see that there are cases where it is misused, I seized my colleague from the Ministry of Justice so that we are very vigilant when we have cases in the commercial court (...) This ordinance stops at the end of the year, I find that there are shocking situations ".
The Alinéa furnishing brand was the subject this week of a court decision validating its partial takeover by its shareholders and enabling 9 out of 26 stores to be saved. Employee lawyer Nathalie Campagnolo blasted an "effect of" total windfall "referring to the procedure permitted by the ordinance of May 20.
© 2020 AFP