Two of the French energy giants, Engie and EDF, are crossing turbulent waters.
And that worries the unions.
CGT, CFDT and FO all call for a “
day of mobilization
” - which does not mean strike - on November 26th.
Read also: Hercules, this project that arouses the discontent of EDF employees
"The agents raise concerns about the future of their jobs and the role of the EDF and Engie groups as spearheads of the energy transition
," they call in a press release released on Monday.
The attitude of the Directorates of these two Groups to push through their plans for reorganization, the breakdown of the public electricity and gas service, and the massive loss of jobs, at all costs, is extremely worrying. ”
The management of Engie wants to separate from a large part of its service activities too far from its core business (gas networks and renewable energies).
She clarified her plans on Friday to union representatives and investors.
A new separate entity will be created, generating around 13 billion euros in turnover, whose management will be appointed in early 2021.
For its part, EDF could have to split its various activities - nuclear power plants, renewable energies, and hydraulic - in exchange for a reform of regulated nuclear tariffs, and at the request of the European Commission.
This project is called "Hercules" and the unions of the group have been opposed to it for a long time.
Negotiations are underway between the French government and the Brussels competition services.
The latter demanded, last spring, the de facto disintegration of EDF, with a parent company without any power over its various subsidiaries.
"
Great concern
"
Jean-Bernard Levy opposed this vision in October, specifying that he was not at any time considering a disintegrated EDF.
On the contrary, he referred to "
an integrated group, in which the various assets are managed with a single strategy, and a staff statute which allows mobility".
Not enough to reassure the unions, who warned Monday that they would challenge
"in the coming days the President of the European Commission on the situation of EDF"
.
"The news around the Hercules project disintegrating the EDF group into three separate entities (green, blue and azure) and around the Engie project which would split the group into two distinct entities (New Engie and Solutions) were the main topics that have led the union federations to express their greatest concern for the future of jobs in the Electricity and Gas Industries ”
, the unions conclude.
