Patrice Sinoquet, CFDT delegate and secretary of the health, safety and working conditions committee (CHSCT) of the former Whirlpool factory in Amiens, guest of franceinfo on Monday, November 22, reports that Emmanuel Macron “promised to keep looking for a solution” for former Whirlpool employees who have not found stable jobs. The President of the Republic met on Monday morning with former employees of the group in Amiens, in a cafe in the city center. He admitted in front of them “to have sometimes been taken for imbeciles” by the various buyers of the site. The former Whirlpool factory in Amiens was bought in June 2018, before being liquidated a year and a half later. The second buyer, Ageco, suffered the same fate. Of the 280 Whirlpool employees, 43 still work at the site for a wooden house manufacturer.
franceinfo: What is your feeling after this meeting with Emmanuel Macron?
We took stock of what has happened for almost four years. The closure of this Whirlpool plant was in May 2018. Since then, there have been quite a few steps. There was a buyer, Nicolas Decayeux, who only lasted a year. After that, it was Ageco.
“Many Whirlpool workers have suffered three layoffs over three years.”
Patrice Sinoquet, CFDT delegateto franceinfo
Today we had to take stock of the situation, to find out who got a job and who didn’t. Indeed, we have a lot of people who have stayed behind, always looking for a situation. Emmanuel Macron promised to continue looking for a solution for these people.
In what way, concretely?
We still have a helping hand from the Amiens prefecture and the management of the Pôle Emploi d’Amiens who, sincerely, are working hard to find a situation for these people. We were waiting for this visit from the Head of State. So is this going to change today? Very smart the one who could give you an answer. We hope that this trip by Mr. Macron today will bring something, we hope that we will have a helping hand to find a solution to the fifty people who have not found a job and that those who are on temporary employment contracts can quickly conclude their assignment with a permanent contract.
What can be the solutions? Why is this situation continuing?
Today, there is not too much work. We know full well that the pandemic has slowed down a lot of things. We have a lot of colleagues who were in training and who ended up with suspended training. At the industry level, this has also slowed down work in terms of temporary work. We hope for better in the coming months. We hope everyone will find a solution.