“Today, 61st day of occupation”, could one read on a large black sign pasted at the entrance.

A little further, photos of Emmanuel Macron and Bruno Le Maire were accompanied respectively by the words "liar" and "accomplice".

And the boss of Renault named "guilty".

"The responses provided by the State and Renault do not meet our expectations. We are still very far from the mark," David Gistau, CGT delegate, told AFP.

On the specific support measures allowing employees to retire earlier, he accuses the State of providing "no clear answer".

As for the supra-legal bonuses from Renault, "these are crumbs compared to the damage suffered", he says.

"But we don't want to let ourselves be locked in by questions of money and our primary objective is to obtain an alternative industrial project to relaunch the activity of the foundry," he says.

“Our fight is also of general interest for the entire foundry industry in France, which is threatened today,” adds the trade unionist.

Among the participants in the rally, representatives of many unions from different regions of France, as well as inhabitants of the Decazeville basin and local elected officials.

David Gistau, CGT delegate, during a gathering of SAM employees in Viviez, December 1, 2021 Valentine CHAPUIS AFP / Archives

Brandishing a coal stone, Mr. Gistau recalled that "this territory (the Decazeville basin, editor's note) enabled the country to rebuild itself after the war" with in particular coal mining and the manufacture of steel and cast iron having used to power thousands of kilometers of rails.

Of the 333 employees of the factory, 315 have received their dismissal letter, explained the trade unionist to AFP, specifying that the 18 others, staff representatives, "are still waiting to meet the labor inspectorate".

Taken over in 2017 by the Chinese group Jinjiang, the Aveyronnaise Metallurgy Company (SAM), located on the heights of Decazeville, had been placed in receivership in December 2019.

Its fate was definitively sealed on November 26 when the Toulouse commercial court declared the cessation of its activity and its liquidation after Renault's refusal to support the only takeover project.

Since then, about half of the employees take turns day and night to occupy the site.

© 2022 AFP