Some 118 former employees of the former automotive supplier GM&S asked the Guéret court on Tuesday to hold PSA and Renault responsible for the bankruptcy in 2017 of this factory in La Souterraine (Creuse) and the dismissal of 157 people. According to them, the two car manufacturers have voluntarily dried up their subcontractor’s order book.
The GM&S dossier, marked by a stormy social plan in 2017, marked the first months of Emmanuel Macron’s presidency, when desperate employees threatened to “blow up” his factory.
Me Jean-Louis Borie, lawyer for the employees, wanted to show that a drop in order volumes between 2014 and 2016, despite the signing of a protocol, was accompanied by a double production in other factories. With GM&S being the exclusive manufacturer of certain parts, manufacturers would not have wanted to risk a production lock-in and would have found an alternative, he says.
“The damage is real and certain”
PSA’s lawyer, Me Emmanuel Fleury, rejected these accusations: “There was no agreement on the volume of commitment. Furthermore, turnover did not drop between 2008 and 2017. And we continue to produce with LSI”, the company that succeeded GM&S in 2018 and whose financial situation is precarious. The representative of Renault, Me Laurent Assaya, estimated, with supporting figures, that the manufacturer had respected its order commitments.
As compensation for the employees, some of whom have already gone to the labor court and have won their case, Me Julie-Elena Niels asked for 80,000 euros for those dismissed and 20,000 euros for those taken over by LSI. “It’s not just files or numbers, it’s real suffering. The damage is real and sure,” she said.
Before the hearing, the ex-GM&S had gathered off the court for an impromptu barbecue. Among them, Pascal, dismissed: “We worked together for 30 years and it ended overnight. Then I didn’t find a job and today I’m 61. Psychologically it’s very complicated.” The decision was reserved for May 23.
Source: BFM TV
