Annick Girardin gave full and frank support to Brittany Ferries employees this Thursday, at the headquarters of the cross-Channel company. The Minister of the Sea explained that the aid of 45 million euros announced last month “is not a favor but a fair return of things” for a flagship doubly hit by the pandemic and the consequences of Brexit.
With turnover rising from 469 to 202 million euros in 2020, the boost is legitimate for Jean-Marc Roué, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Brittany Ferries. “I find it quite consistent to give our companies a breath of fresh air during this recovery from the Covid crisis, we need it to remain competitive”.
No dismissal, but …
But there are counterparts to this state intervention: the participation of the banks, and the maintenance of all staff (2,474 FTE in 2020). There will be no job loss, assure the minister and the management. However, 128 people left the ship (voluntarily) this year, according to Jean-Paul Corbel, CFDT delegate.
“Certainly there is no planned layoff, but there are many ways to downsize the workforce. We have real concerns about that”, explains the union representative, who also mentions working conditions degraded by the Vital reorganization plan, which requires the flight crew to be versatile.
More optimistic, Jean-Marc Roué hopes to hire him next year: “2022 should allow us to integrate people on long-term fixed-term contracts, depending on the departures”. But Brittany Ferries will also have to save money … an equation that could be complex.
On state infusion
In addition to this exceptional grant, the company obtained 10 million euros of debt waiver. She benefits from long-term partial unemployment (APLD) for 3 years, reimbursement of social charges for 4 years (the “net wage”), not to mention the loan guaranteed by the State (PGE) of 117 million euros granted in 2020.
While waiting for the restart of the activity hoped for next spring, Brittany remains a convalescent patient … under a state infusion.