The representative of the staff of H & M, who tried to set himself on fire on October 26 in the warehouse at Le Bourget, is doing better.
“He resumed with us last Friday.
He needed to find us, confides Gemina Mehiaoui, CGT union representative.
Nothing beats putting his life on the line, he was lucky and so were we.
"
His gesture of desperation had the effect of an electric shock on the striking employees, against the closure of their site under the banner of H&M Logistics GBC and the elimination of 153 jobs.
Several witnesses of his act of distress had rushed on him, when he sprayed himself with gasoline, to prevent him from committing the worst.
The same evening, the departmental director of the labor directorate went to the site.
“We asked for a mediator and he offered to take on this role,” adds Gemina Mehiaoui.
The following Friday, the end-of-conflict meeting took place.
We were afraid that other employees would crack, everyone was on edge and on edge.
We negotiated until 2 a.m.
"
The objective was in particular to obtain additional time to continue discussions related to the job protection plan.
It is finally on November 25, instead of mid-November that the Social and Economic Committee (CSE) will meet.
After three weeks of strike, the employees returned to work on November 2.
"Everyone was at their end"
Staff representatives also learned from their management that an “exclusivity contract” had been signed on November 3, between H&M and a buyer who has one month to tie up and present a file.
His name is not known, nor the conditions under which this transfer could take place.
"Regarding this buyer, we have no guarantee on the fate of the 148 jobs (
Editor's note: there were voluntary departures among the 153 people concerned at the start
), worries Gemina Mehiaoui.
But whatever happens, H&M is leaving.
"
The warehouse was the Swedish clothing brand's only logistics site in France, which supplied 82 stores out of some 240 stores in the country.
In discussions around the preservation of jobs, it seems that about sixty would be reserved for warehouse operators of H&M.
Despite our requests concerning the future of Le Bourget, the H&M group was not able to answer us this Tuesday at the end of the afternoon.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/KMEYMJKESBAZBE4MRBAM4TGHIQ.jpg)
