Like several major automotive firms, Stellantis (formerly PSA) is now faced with a shortage of electronic components which is slowing production considerably. At the Sochaux plant (Doubs), employees and unions are in doubt.
This is news that the employees of Stellantis (ex-PSA) would undoubtedly have done well. The Sochaux plant is about to go on this weekend of February 6 and 7, a second non-working Saturday, site management said in a statement released Thursday, February 4. A decision that should make it possible to adjust to the supply of parts, and to deal with the shortage of electronic components (semiconductors) responsible for the slowdown in activity in the automotive sector for several weeks.
Which sites impacted?
While Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford and Nissan were the first to slow down their production, French firms seemed relatively spared until then. The reason put forward for the first cancellation of a session on the Sochaux site was not directly linked to this shortage, as management initially mentioned uncertainties about the health situation.
“For the moment the management has been very discreet on this subject” explains François Guillerey, UNSA delegate at Sochaux, “This supply crisis has just been mentioned. We are worried because it is always very frustrating. not being able to meet customer demand. We are really waiting for more information. For the moment we are in the dark “.
The 3008 produced in Sochaux. • © PHOTOPQR / L’EST REPUBLICAIN / MAXPPP
In Europe, the consequences of this shortage are really starting to be felt for the newly appointed Stellantis group: the German site of Eisenach has temporarily ceased its activity while the Mulhouse plant has already scheduled seven days of work stoppage between February and March. The Sochaux site should be given priority thanks to the development of the 3008 SUV, one of the brand’s flagship vehicles. Obviously the two session cancellations slow down production, but the impact on employees is less, for now.
Concerned unions
“As long as it comes to canceling extra sessions, that is fine for employees. However, the situation could become more worrying when it comes to cancellations of normal work sessions,” added François Guillerey. Overtime sessions are generally scheduled when production is high. They are in addition to the normal working sessions based on the 35 hours. At Sochaux, employees have already gathered a significant number of additional sessions in recent months, in particular the teams working on the Peugeot 308 (42 hours / week on average).
“You should know that beyond 84 hours of cancellation of sessions, employees go unemployed” recalls Eric Peultier, Force Ouvrière (FO) union delegate in Sochaux, all the more worried that the employees have learned this Friday morning that the toll-free number had just been set up for a possible cancellation of the working sessions of Monday afternoon February 8.
“If we start to cancel these sessions, it can quickly become complicated. We hope not to arrive at a situation as in certain factories which are closed, or even in Mulhouse which only runs four days a week” underlines Eric Peultier. “The products do not arrive and precisely, this is where we see all our dependence on certain manufacturers of components. We have let some of our know-how slip away and we can now measure it. the results”.
No unemployment for now
Employees at the Sochaux plant will go unemployed if a threshold of 84 hours not worked is reached. For that, a dozen “normal” work sessions would have to be canceled.