Walkouts were observed on Tuesday by employees of 26 Galeries Lafayette stores, who denounce a lack of transparency on the financial situation of their parent company owned by businessman Michel Ohayon, several of whose brands are in great difficulty.
The staff representatives of Hermione Retail, a company bringing together the Galeries Lafayette properties of Michel Ohayon, have already exercised their right to alert in December in order to obtain information on his situation.
Other brands owned by Mr. Ohayon through Hermione People & Brands (HPB) - Camaïeu, Go Sport, Gap France - are currently in turmoil.
The CFDT, the first union within the Hermione Retail group, had called on its employees to strike on Tuesday.
Employees expecting transparency
In Bayonne, as in the 26 other Galeries Lafayette stores, the call for a walkout was followed at midday by more than twenty employees, out of the 60 - the vast majority of whom are women - who make up the establishment.
Among them, Muriel Scanzi, CFDT central union representative of the group and employee in Bayonne, who points to "
concerns
" still present after the right to alert and notably reports to AFP "
investments promised but never made
".
“
We no longer receive goods from certain brands sold in Galeries Lafayette and we think it is because the service providers are not paid.
We are wondering about our future
, ”adds the trade unionist.
Two other employees, aged 42 and 25 wishing to remain anonymous, say they expect "
transparency
".
“
There may be a failure, with Camaïeu, but then the failures followed with Go Sport, with Gap
”, estimates the forties.
“
Everything is blurry for us today and we are afraid of losing our job, we don't know if the store will close, even though it is doing very well
”, adds the youngest.
For its part, HPB told AFP on Tuesday that "
no social plan or store closure is scheduled at Hermione Retail
", adding that "
the company is healthy, driven by a marketing strategy that has demonstrated its relevance.
with a turnover for 2022 "
increase of +4.1%
" and for January 2023 a turnover "
increase of +9.8% compared to January 2022
".
Read alsoGaleries Lafayette: after a right to alert, elected staff denounce a lack of transparency from management
“
As for the right of alert exercised by employees, Jonathan Szejner, president of Hermione People and Brands, met yesterday with the appointed experts who were visibly reassured at the end of the interview.
The additional documents requested are sent to them during the day
, ”said the group’s spokesperson.
