Around 200 employees of the water and waste giant Suez gathered on Tuesday in front of Veolia's Paris headquarters to protest, in the presence of political supporters, against their competitor's takeover project.
"
The OPA, we do not want it
", they chanted to the sound of fog horns and firecrackers in front of the offices located rue de la Boétie (8th arrondissement), drowned in the red of smoke.
To read also: "No job cuts": the boss of Veolia wants to reassure the employees of Suez
The police had positioned themselves to prevent any intrusion while the management of Veolia had hung a wall banner on which was written: "
Veolia guarantees your jobs
".
"
Veolia's project is the bearer of an inevitable social breakdown which will impact several thousand jobs in France,
" nevertheless assures the Suez inter-union (CGT, CFDT, FO, CFE-CGC, CFTC).
“
We need your skills, your jobs, we don't need a shareholder logic
,” said PCF MP Fabien Roussel.
"
We defend the general interest against the particular interest of the shareholders
".
"
In all parties, not just those of the opposition, people are mobilizing to support you
," added LREM deputy Pierre Person.
“
We are talking about the common good of water and waste treatment.
We have a completely disrupted industrial fabric and we would not want foreign interests to shake up our country's economy
”.
Read also: The Suez board is finally studying the takeover bid from Veolia ... and rejects it
Among the personalities who came to support the demonstrators were also Audrey Pulvar, deputy mayor PS of Paris and Julien Bayou (EELV).
"
I tried to explain the quality of the commitments we have made in terms of employment and the fact that we want to get out of this situation very quickly to discuss with the management and the trade unions of Suez
", indicated Veolia's HRD, Jean-Marie Lambert, came to parley for a few minutes with the protesters in the company of the communications director, Laurent Obadia.
"
In the current context, a company which guarantees the jobs of the company which it takes over, it is not so frequent
", he added.
The Versailles Court of Appeal on Tuesday reserved its judgment on April 15 on the information-consultation requested by the economic and social committees of Suez on the project of their competitor.
These were dismissed by the Nanterre court on February 3.
This decision enabled Veolia, which acquired a 29.9% stake in Suez at the beginning of October, to recover “
all of its rights
”, an essential asset in view of the shareholder battle that could take place during the next Suez general assembly in the spring.
