PSA Labor Unions Agree With Early Transfers from Aulnay Plant

PSA Peugeot Citroen’s unions approved the worker transfers from the Aulnay plant.

Today, February 15th, the PSA works council agreed with the transfers, saying that there was ‘consensus’ between the unions and the management. The CFDT, FO, CFTC, CGC and SIA unions agreed with the immediate beginning of transfers to the Poissy plant, located west of Paris. The decision comes after numerous tensioned negotiations between the company and the strikers from the Aulnay plant, which to be closed in 2014.

Production at the Aulnay plant has been scarce since the hardline CGT union and other labor unions began the strikes three weeks ago, protesting against the decision to close the plant earlier than announced and cut 8,000 jobs in France. The government had no choice but to send Marc Leray as a mediator to find a common ground between the two parties.

“The situation at Aulnay-sous-Bois is characterized by worsening tensions. These no longer allow for a relaxed dialogue between all parties at the site,” Labor Minister Michel Sapin said in a statement.

Several unions, excluding the CGT, have closed deals with the company this week to speed the transfer of 1,500 employees to Poissy, but PSA still has to find solutions for the other 1,500 employees , who are not concerned by transfers, and restart production.