Renault’s plant in Sanduville in Seine-Maritime will be temporarily closed. “Management has told us at least 13 days of closure until the end of July,” Fabian Glowagen, a delegate for the Force Overiere (FO) union, said after the meeting of the Economic and Social Committee (CSE) held Friday morning. “This comes on the heels of a shortage of electronic components. ABS calculators, components for wheels, safety, parts that come from far away, made in Asia, according to the unionist.

For the 1,900 Renault employees who are protected by company agreements, “the impact will be minimal,” according to FO. On the other hand, for the 700 temporary workers “who are an integral part of our site”, the union is concerned about the consequences for their wages. Upon calling, management could not be reached immediately.

‘We depend on Asia’

According to Fabian Glowagen, this is a “historic” situation at Renault Sandovil. He assures us that “7,000 cars will be lost”, while this site is “always protected by Renault” in terms of volume. “When we come out of Covid, it calls into question corporate strategies. This is unacceptable. The virus has shown at least one thing: that we depend on Asia, wishing that Emmanuel Macron and European leaders would sit around a table to review their version,” Fabian Glowagen said.

Renault Sandovil, where Renault Trafic Phase 2, Nissan MV300, Mitsubishi Express and Fiat Talento are assembled, temporarily closed eight weeks last year to ensure the safety of its workers in the face of risks associated with Covid-19.