Storm warning in Hauts-de-France.
The day after the announcement of the brutal closure of a Bridgeston factory in Béthune, the Minister for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari warned that the leaders of Bridgestone will be "
accountable
".
"
It is an act which lacks courage, on the form
", criticized the minister at the microphone of RTL, recalling that the announcement of the closure had been made on video by the leaders.
“
When you take such radical measures, for more than 800 employees, you will at least announce them, prepare them and tell them what you have planned as an alternative solution and takeover plan.
None of that has been done,
”regretted the minister.
Read also: Bridgestone creates shock by closing a factory in Béthune
In addition, the leaders of the Japanese group had not requested any state aid other than partial unemployment, "
which suggests that [they] had no alternative project for the site
."
The Minister Delegate also regretted the absence of social dialogue with staff representatives.
A meeting will therefore take place Monday with the European leaders of Bridgestone, who will present their “
alternative strategy for the site
” and to “
report
”.
Guest of Cnews, Bruno Le Maire also spoke out on Thursday against Bridgestone's decision.
The Japanese company "
took a revolting decision, with a revolting method which has revolting consequences
", indignant the Minister of the Economy.
The file is followed very closely by Bercy, allied to the region as well as to the city of Béthune.
The authorities will "
fight
" and look for a "
solution for reindustrializing the site
" or a way to direct the production of the plant to adapt it to the current tire market.
"
We must be more vigilant
", warns the CGT
These speeches are the latest in a long series of criticisms formulated by elected officials from several political parties.
On Wednesday, the president of the region, Xavier Bertrand, denounced the behavior of the leaders of Bridgestone, calling them "
liars, cynics
".
RN leader Marine Le Pen criticized the use of the epidemic as a "
screen
" and "
pretext for the economic crisis
".
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal lamented the
executive's
“
betrayal of trust
” in Bridgestone.
"
Planning is urgent
", considered the leader of the rebels, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, adding that "
Macron lets dismiss and favors [the Bridgestone factories] outside France
".
For their part, employees do not hide their concerns.
"
The company has not invested enough for a production adapted to today's needs, it's been years that it lasts
", regretted the leader of the CGT, Philippe Martinez.
"
It's good that politicians are indignant, but we must be more vigilant
", especially when a group asks for public aid.
The trade unionist believes that Bridgestone must return the money granted by the public authorities, because it can "be
used to find industrial alternatives so as not to close the plant
".
“
It's possible not to close it,
” he wanted to believe.
In a virulent
press
release sent on Thursday, Sud Chimie was indignant at the "hammer
blow which fell savagely on the employees of the Bridgestone site
".
"
Unheard-of brutality
", "
nothing better to kill your dog than accusing it of having rabies
", "
savagery of the leaders
" ... The union organization does not mince words against the Japanese group, which "
uses the public authorities and of course their ment
”.
Sud Chimie therefore calls for a "large-
scale mobilization
" and welcomes the "
united front
" of the public authorities against the closure of the plant.
"
The real showdown will be the one that employees and their supporters will start with Bridgestone,
" said the union.