The Chinese industrial group MA Steel, sole shareholder of the last French manufacturer of wheels and axles for Valdunes trains, has announced that “it will no longer inject money” into the company, as we learned this Friday from the management of the equipment manufacturer and the CGT, confirming Information from France 3.
“MG Valdunes held a general meeting on Thursday in the presence of its sole partner MA Steel, who announced that he was no longer going to put money into the company,” Daniel Cappelle, director of the two plants located in Leffrinckoucke, told AFP. and Trith-Saint-Léger (Nord), where 336 people work.
Employees at the two sites went on strike for an “unlimited” period to protest against this announcement, Philippe Lihouck, a representative of the CGT union, told AFP, saying production had stopped.
“Employees do not know what will become of them, the situation is still not clear. Resale? Legal reparation? Liquidation? We don’t know yet,” he lamented.
336 employees located in the North
But “clearly, we fear the closure. A shareholder who has supported us for years and who tells us + Now, I don’t put a penny on you anymore + is beyond worrying,” he continued.
According to Daniel Cappelle, Valdunes is now “responsible for working on business continuity for the coming months and finding financing, alliances or even other shareholders that can help and support” the company.
A meeting between the Valdunes management and the industry ministry is scheduled for May 17, Daniel Cappelle said, following a CSE on Friday.
“Every day they tell us about national sovereignty. Relocating or buying train wheels abroad (as the SNCF does) is unacceptable. We must protect jobs in our territories,” Marine Tondelier, a local elected representative and National Secretary of Europe Ecologie- Les Verts.
The Chinese industrial group MA Steel was chosen in 2014 by the Valenciennes Commercial Court to take over the activities of Valdunes, then in suspension of payments.
Source: BFM TV
