For the past two weeks, we have been witnessing a veritable parade of presidential candidates on the Ferropem site in La Léchère in Tarentaise. This Thursday, it was Valérie Pécresse’s turn to come and meet the employees who have been blocking the factory for several days. Its closure was announced on November 15. 221 positions must be eliminated.
“ODo not come here to lure employees and make false promises “- Valérie Pécresse
Valérie Pécresse arrived at the Château-Feuillet site accompanied by Michel Barnier. Several left-wing candidates had gone to Ferropem’s bedside before Valérie Pécresse, in particular by proposing to temporarily nationalize the site. “False promises”, according to candidate LR: “the state is unfortunately a very bad industrial boss and every time there have been nationalizations, it was only the prelude to dismantling“.
“With Michel Barnier, we do not come here to lure employees who in six months, when we will be in government, will come to remind us that we have promised them the moon and that we have not kept our promises.“.
Find a buyer
To save the factory and its 221 jobs, Valérie Pécresse wants to force the Ferroglobe group to sell it to a buyer, by conditional on this transfer of public aid granted to the group for other sites – including the one it has given up. close in Isère mid-November.
The government has already put “several tens of millions of euros“of support measures on the table, but the Hispanic-American group refuses for the time being to sell the La Léchère plant to a competitor.
Another track mentioned by candidate LR: “harden” the Florange law so that companies with strategic productions, such as silicon, are obliged to sell when there is a buyer.
Filter dams and free tolls in the run-up to Christmas
“We don’t have six months to act, words must be followed by deeds“, asked candidate Roger Roelandts, Force Ouvrière delegate.”We will talk to your shareholders again“, assured Valérie Pécresse, Michel Barnier having contacted the boss of Ferroglobe during a trip to Spain.
Ferropem employees are now awaiting the arrival of President Macron or a member of the government. In the meantime, they have planned to continue their actions of filter dams or free tolls every Saturday as the Christmas holidays approach.