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7 February, 2001To highlight their struggle to preserve their workplace and jobs, a march is planned in Amiens.
FRANCE: Metalworkers in the northern French region of Picardy are planning a major demonstration to highlight their struggle to preserve their jobs. With the planned closures of Magneti-Marelli (Fiat Group) and Honeywell in Amiens, plus job cuts at Case, Bosch, Federal-Mogul and Sachs, 1,000 jobs are being lost in Picardy alone.
The workers and their trade unions, represented in the IMF-affiliated FGMM-CFDT, say that with the plans to shut down operations at Magneti-Marelli, which is being imposed by Fiat from Italy, and Honeywell, from the USA, they are once again confronted with management decisions which give priority to short-term financial returns, no matter what the consequences may be on the economic activity and jobs of an entire region. With General Electric's planned acquisition of Honeywell, the FGMM-CFDT has denounced in a press statement what it calls the "obsession" of Honeywell's top management to be able to show good financial results to future stockholders, no matter what it costs. The consequences on employment, says the union, are intolerable.
Convinced of their know-how, their skills and the viability of their company's business activities, the last few months have seen employees at Magneti-Marelli and now at Honeywell carrying out actions in an attempt to save their workplace and jobs. Faced with this difficult situation, the Picardy Union of Mine and Metal Workers-CFDT is organising the march in Amiens on March 2.
The workers and their trade unions, represented in the IMF-affiliated FGMM-CFDT, say that with the plans to shut down operations at Magneti-Marelli, which is being imposed by Fiat from Italy, and Honeywell, from the USA, they are once again confronted with management decisions which give priority to short-term financial returns, no matter what the consequences may be on the economic activity and jobs of an entire region. With General Electric's planned acquisition of Honeywell, the FGMM-CFDT has denounced in a press statement what it calls the "obsession" of Honeywell's top management to be able to show good financial results to future stockholders, no matter what it costs. The consequences on employment, says the union, are intolerable.
Convinced of their know-how, their skills and the viability of their company's business activities, the last few months have seen employees at Magneti-Marelli and now at Honeywell carrying out actions in an attempt to save their workplace and jobs. Faced with this difficult situation, the Picardy Union of Mine and Metal Workers-CFDT is organising the march in Amiens on March 2.