“Green with rage.” This is one of the slogans that protesters used this morning during a demonstration in Saint-Etienne to try to oppose the dismantling of the Casino group.
The demonstration should bring together between 3,000 and 5,000 Stéphanois today. At the request of the inter-union organizations (FO, CGT, CFDT, UNSA, CFE-CGC), the protesters gathered on Antoine Guichard Street, one of the grandsons of Geoffroy Guichard, founder of the Casino and emblematic manager from 1990 to 2003. A symbol which aims to remind us that, for the inhabitants of Stéphane, Casino is not a brand like any other.
The casino is a flagship of the local economy. Created 125 years ago, its history is as closely linked to the city as Manufrance was. The dismantling of the group is a new trauma after the relegation of the “Greens”, their emblematic football club.
1,200 jobs threatened in Saint-Etienne
This march organized by the inter-union aims to avoid “a new Manufrance” and the risk of a true economic and social catastrophe with a new disappearance of jobs“. The distribution group still employed 200,000 people worldwide at the end of 2022, including 50,000 in France. It is now in a very dangerous financial situation, with a debt estimated by the inter-union association between 7 and 12 billion euros.
Prudently, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire met with staff representatives on Wednesday. He claims to be closely monitoring the situation and doing everything possible to preserve “as many jobs as possible” taking into account the “economic realities.”
During this meeting, one of the spokespersons for the inter-union, Jean Pastor (CGT), indicated that the minister had promised that “the examination of public acquisition offers would be done from a social angle.” But “we can’t believe that jobs won’t be lost,” he added.
Of the 1,800 people working at the Saint-Étienne plant, 1,200 “work in hypermarkets and supermarkets,” said Bruno Le Maire, suggesting that these jobs would be threatened in the event of a sale.
Offers presented on December 19
The group signed an agreement in July that provides for debt restructuring and, between March and April 2024, an acquisition by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, Frenchman Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière and the British fund Attestor.
But in the meantime, commercial results have not improved much and the group, still led for some months by Jean-Charles Naouri, had to lower its financial ambitions several times, before stating that it was willing to sell stores if competitors were interested. .
According to the unions, “firm and definitive offers” for the acquisition of the stores by other brands in the sector will be presented to them on December 19 during a meeting in Saint-Etienne with the consortium and the inter-union.
A major sale would have serious consequences for employment at the group’s headquarters and its logistics network. A new mobilization is planned for Friday.
Source: BFM TV
