He had been made redundant for economic reasons in 2017 during the closure.
About thirty former employees of the Tioxide chemistry plant (now Venator), in Calais, Pas-de-Calais, won the industrial tribunal, we learned on Tuesday.
The judge considered that the employer had failed in its obligations to seek internal reclassification.
In judgments dated July 28 and consulted by AFP, the departing judge concluded that the dismissals were "devoid of real and serious cause".
The employer is ordered to pay between 3,000 and 13,000 euros in damages, according to the files.
Legitimate economic reason
The professional judge nevertheless considered that the economic motive was legitimate.
For him, the production overcapacity of the titanium dioxide derivative plant at the time is "established" and due to its "location primarily in Europe, Venator's business sector" was "facing various disadvantages. competitive ”.
The American group Venator, which had taken control of the factory succeeding its compatriot Huntsman, "justifies a real and proven threat to the competitiveness of the sector when it made the layoffs", can we read in the 'one of the judgments.
“There were no economic difficulties,” maintains employee lawyer Zoran Ilic.
According to him, “it's not that the factory was losing money, it's that it wasn't earning enough” for its owner.
Litigation with the Region
The Hauts-de-France regional council then requested the reimbursement of 12 million euros in subsidies.
According to the Region, Venator refused and the case is now in the hands of the Lille administrative court, which should hear the case in the coming months.
The Calais site, which ran for 40 years, employed up to 650 people.
It is being dismantled.
Venator's lawyer was not immediately reachable.
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Factory
Calais
Lille
Dismissal
Prud men