Hopes showered for the maintenance of the Bridgestone plant in Béthune: after a meeting Thursday, the Minister of Industry, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, announced that the Japanese tire giant would leave the site.
"But we will be there alongside the employees to find the best solutions", assured the minister, "we will fight to keep this site industrial".
“Bridgestone has closed the door, Bridgestone is leaving the Béthune site”, “the scenario which aimed to maintain a tire production activity managed by Bridgestone has been closed”, she declared after a meeting with management, elected officials and unions.
In an attempt to save the unit, which the Japanese tire giant had brutally announced in mid-September to close in 2021, the government had proposed a plan providing for a continuation of the activity with the maintenance, according to the inter-union, of "525 to 555 jobs ”out of the 863 on the site.
Xavier Bertrand, also refused to admit defeat, citing a possible recovery.
“There is a project on tires.
Bridgestone tells us that they were ready for a competitor to take their place.
Of which act ”, affirmed the president (ex-LR) of the regional council of Hauts-de-France.