Monday, September 10, 2007

GOODYEAR-DUNLOP TO CONSULT FRENCH STAFF OVER PLANS FOR AMIENS SITES

Les Echos, September 7, 2007

Management at US tyre manufacturer Goodyear-Dunlop is due to consult staff at the company's French sites in Amiens on September 14 and September 15 with regard to plans to restructure the two sites. Following the strikes over the summer, negotiations between management and trade unions appear to be in a state of deadlock. French trade union CGT has refused the reappraisal of the agreement made in 2000 and all restructuring of the organisation of production teams. However, management believes that only through cutting jobs by not replacing employees taking retirement, increasing the plant's annual activity from 329 days to 350 days, and extensively upgrading installations can production be quickly reoriented towards high-performance tyres. Goodyear-Dunlop has said that the Amiens plants must be adapted to the needs of the market.

Mickael Wamen, secretary of CGT at Dunlop, has said that with the same amount of investment, the Amiens plants could be as profitable as the sites in Germany. To avoid further aggravating the issue and thereby affecting the entire investment programme, CGT has called for staff to vote against the decision at the September meetings' referendum. No further strike warnings have been issued.

 

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