“Anger!”. This is how Philippe Poutou, former candidate for the presidency of the Republic and employee of Ford Blanquefort (Gironde), concluded one of his tweets Thursday, June 7. A reaction to the announcement of the opening of “information consultation on a closure project” of the site by the management of the American manufacturer, on the occasion of an extraordinary meeting of its works council (EC) on morning even.
Announcement of the day, Ford launches a process of closure of the Blanquefort plant at the end of June (PSE). Ford maneuvering step by step for a long time. The state, the government, accomplices or indifferent have a great deal of responsibility. Not easy for us but must react. Anger!
– Philippe Poutou (@PhilippePoutou) June 7, 2018
In a statement, Ford said that the plan for safeguarding employment (PSE) “includes redeployment measures, pre-retirement, and measures to help employees to join new employers in the event that no buyer would not be found and where the closure of the site should be decided accordingly. “
This announcement comes after several months of uncertainty for the 900 employees of the Ford plant Aquitaine Industries (FAI), specialized in gearboxes. February 27, the manufacturer of Detroit had showered their hopes to produce a new 8-speed automatic gearbox, intended to equip compact Ford on the Old Continent. A choice having a major consequence for Blanquefort, since the site will have nothing more to produce after 2019.
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In parallel, the framework agreement signed in 2013 by the management, intended to guarantee a workforce of a thousand jobs, expired on May 24. A deadline that some union representatives believe is not unrelated to the choice of Ford’s management to withdraw from the Girondine plant.
The opening of the PES “not justified” according to Bercy
In the statement, however, Ford said that “there will be no forced departures before September 2019” and that employees “in office in September 2019 would suffer no decrease in their pay until the end of 2019 “. A decision that the Minister of Economy says “deeply regret” in a statement released Thursday, June 7, saying that “at this point, a recovery of all employees appears possible, and the opening of a PSE does not seem therefore not justified “.
Because, failing to retain Ford on its site, the path of a buyer remains to explore, said the Ministry of Economy in its statement. according to West France, the Belgian group Punch Powerglide, specialized in the production of gearboxes and automotive components, would be on the list of potential buyers of Ford Blanquefort. But according to the newspaper, “it would be necessary that Ford, which is not today part of its customers, ensures a large order flow” to this buyer so that it is able to ensure the future of factory.
In this regard, the American group simply says that “the priority remains the search for a buyer”. “We will provide our best efforts to find a positive outcome for FAI employees,” said Steven Armstrong, president of Ford Europe, in the group’s press release, “our goal is to ensure that any potential buyer presents a viable recovery plan and any other agreement must make it possible to reconcile the interests of Ford, the employees of FAI and the buyer “.
It is that Ford wants to avoid at all costs that does not happen again the scenario of 2009. At the time, the manufacturer had already managed to sell its factory Gironde to a German group, HZ Holding. After becoming First Aquitaine Industries, the site had, however, seen its health deteriorate … leading Ford, under pressure from employees and the state, to recover its property in 2011.