The sign of a Carrefour store.

(illustration) -

MATHIEU PATTIER / SIPA

Employees, who have been blocking access to the largest Carrefour hypermarket in Marseille for four days, decided on Friday to end the blockage but are continuing their strike, we learned from the CGT and CFDT.

This decision was taken at the General Assembly on Friday morning, said Emmanuel Lopez, CGT delegate, confirming information from the Marsactu site.

Located on the heights of the second largest city in France, in the impoverished city of Saint-Antoine, the Grand Littoral store had been occupied since Tuesday by employees who prevented the entry of customers and deliveries using trolleys.

This rare movement was triggered by the management's refusal to transform nine of the 11 professionalization contracts into permanent contracts (CDI).

A decision that shocked the strikers all the more since the distribution group announced in February an increase of 7.8% in its sales, to 78.6 billion euros, despite the Covid-19 epidemic.

According to Smaïl Ait-Atmane, CFDT union delegate, the negotiations have already "advanced" with the management: "We have obtained two permanent contracts and two more fixed-term contracts on the nine employees in question", he said, in also highlighting progress on meal vouchers, additional investments in handling equipment and the now acquired presence of employee representatives in committees deciding on staff advancement.

According to figures provided by the unions, the workforce of the Grand Littoral hypermarket was reduced from 546 at the end of 2019 to 442 employees currently, against the backdrop of an amplification of the cost reduction policy at the distributor.

Carrefour had deplored Wednesday a blockage "which impacts its activity and its customers", affirming that 24 collaborators in work-study program joined the store since February.

Despite the unblocking of the store, six store employees are still summoned to court Monday in Marseille at 2 p.m., for their role in the movement.

Society

Employees block the largest Carrefour in Marseille to obtain "promised hires"

Society

Carrefour will hire 15,000 young people in 2021, that's 50% more than usual

  • Strike

  • Marseilles

  • Employment

  • crossroads

  • Large distribution

  • Union