She passed the 70 years mark a few months ago with an evening dedicated to her history. Was this the last anniversary of the emblematic Renault factory in Choisy-le-Roi? Uncertainty reigned on Wednesday about the future of this site which could definitively close, like three others in France according to revelations of the "Canard Enchaîné". According to the weekly, the French automaker is preparing a vast economic plan which must be announced by the end of May.
It would involve the shutdown of four sites. In addition to Choisy, the Dieppe factory (Seine-Maritime) and the Foundry of Brittany located in Morbihan are also mentioned. That of Flins (Yvelines) could be dedicated to another activity than automotive production.
Asked Wednesday about the Choisy site, Renault management did not want to react. During the session of questions to the government in the Senate on Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that the government would be "uncompromising" on the "preservation" of sites in France by evoking a plan which is "not yet presented and therefore probably not yet stopped ”.
A "unique factory of its kind"
"No further details on this plan for the moment", merely indicates a local representative of Force Ouvrière. "We learned the news this morning on the news like everyone else," slips this employee of the factory on the avenue de Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, contacted by phone. Having arrived fairly recently in the company, he said straight away that he did not have "information" at his "level" about the closure. But says he is "disappointed at the idea of seeing this unique small factory of its kind close".
This site, where 250 to 300 employees work, specializes in "standard exchange". It is the only one in Europe. Employees refurbish parts for the after-sales management of Renault, Nissan Europe, and Daimler, which are then sold at a lower cost.
Back in activity for a month
It is one of the first sites of the group which started operating just a month ago when the manufacturer had put its production on hold since March 16 as part of the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic. But before that, in February, and while Renault had recorded its first losses last year in ten years, management had raised the possibility of closing sites in France and abroad during the presentation of annual results.
The French state, the largest shareholder with 15% of the capital, agreed to fly to the aid of Renault by guaranteeing a bank loan of around 5 billion euros which was to be signed quickly. Its acting general manager had indicated at the end of April that this loan did not call into question the savings plan.
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VIDEO. The government will be “intransigent” on the “preservation” of Renault sites in France
In Choisy, where the factory has represented a lot in the history of the city, the pill is hard to pass. "At a time when we are talking about economic recovery, I do not understand this choice", explains the mayor (PCF) Didier Guillaume who talks about a site "recognized for the know-how of its employees", which is "in an ecological approach , of re-use ". "And today we are told that it is no longer a priority," says the elected official. Right after celebrating an important anniversary, this is amazing news. ”
"The Choisy site is a pillar"
"In terms of employment and professional training, the Choisy-le-Roi site is a pillar in the Val-de-Marne," said LREM MP Jean-François Mbaye. Just last year, the factory hired many permanent employees. Since 2015, it has also trained more than fifty people in partnership with Pole Emploi, Greta and the Branly high school in Créteil ”.
Described as a “benchmark for the circular economy” factory by its director last year, in 2014 it received the trophy of the same name, awarded at the time by the Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development. A year ago almost to the day, its management also specified that profiles specializing in mechatronics (mechanics, electronics, IT) could interest the site more and more in the coming years since it is a field it was , then, "developing.
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Its future and that of other sites will be discussed in the coming days since the representative organizations of Renault (CFE-CGC, CFDT, CGT and FO) must be received separately before May 29 by the general management of the automotive group. Until then, Didier Guillaume encourages "the inhabitants, the elected representatives, the department, the territory" to "mobilize" to avoid this closure. "If we have to come up with a delegation to the ministry, we will do it," warns the elected official.
