The Alstom group intends to finalize at the end of April the sale to the Czech Skoda of its Reichshoffen plant (Bas-Rhin, 750 employees), a union source learned on Thursday.
Alstom has extended until the end of April its exclusive negotiations started at the end of 2020 with Skoda Transportation for this sale which results from its merger with the Canadian company Bombardier, said Daniel Dreger, spokesperson for the intersyndicale (CGT, FO, CFE-CGC ) of Reichshoffen.
Read also: Strike and blockage on the Alstom / ex-Bombardier site in Crespin, in the North
Representatives of the group's management announced the decision to unions at the rolling stock site on Tuesday, he said.
Contacted by AFP, a spokesperson for the site confirmed the information, specifying that it employs 750 permanent Alstom employees.
The end of April deadline is therefore
Alstom's
"
objective
" to finalize a "
letter of intent
" with the Czech manufacturer, according to Mr. Dreger.
After instruction by the European Commission, the sale could be effective "
in September or October
", he added.
In order to comply with the conditions set by Brussels for the takeover of Bombardier, the French group has put its Reichshoffen plant up for sale, as well as that of Bombardier in Hennigsdorf (Germany), which is also coveted by Skoda Transportation.
Reichshoffen has "
good visibility
"
The takeover of Reichshoffen had also prompted the candidacy of the Spanish CAF.
This was preferred by the unions, because of its already well-established commercial and industrial presence in France and Western Europe, unlike Skoda, which does not have a factory there.
"
With its 4,500 employees, Skoda is a small one on the market
", noted Daniel Dreger, indicating "to
have no information on its intentions and its industrial project
".
However, Reichshoffen, which notably manufactures the Regiolis regional trainsets, has "
good visibility
", with a "
firm workload of two to two and a half years
", which "
leaves time
" for its buyer. to "
develop new markets,
" Dreger said.
Read also: Bouygues announces to sell half of its stake in Alstom for more than 500 million euros
Become final on January 29, the takeover of Bombardier by Alstom gives birth to the world number two in the construction of railway equipment, with 75,000 employees and 15.7 billion euros in turnover, behind the Chinese CRRC.
Independent of the automaker of the same name owned by Volkswagen, Skoda Transportation is owned by the PPF holding company of Czech billionaire Petr Kellner.
