Carrefour: Strike called by unions for March 31
Workers’ unions at supermarket giant Carrefour have called a strike and warned of supermarket closures and possible goods shortages after the group announced the future loss of thousands of jobs.
The unions Force Ouvrière (FO) and the CFDT have called the strike for Saturday March 31, in a move that they hope will “close or affect” most Carrefour supermarkets, warehouses and offices.
Staff have been advised not to work on this date, said union representatives Sylvain Macé (CFDT) and Michel Enguelz (FO).
A union press release said this was due to “shareholders’ attacks on jobs and rental-management, and the ‘hold up’ on profit-sharing”.
It added: “Many shops will be closed or affected.”
The call comes less than two months after president-director general of Carrefour, Alexandre Bompard, announced what he called “a strategic plan” for the group.
Among other changes, including the closure of over 250 stores, this plan included the loss or change of 2,400 jobs, posited as voluntary redundancies.
The group also announced that several of its hypermarchés would be sold into rental-management agreements, which will - according to the CFDT - see the employees affected lose the equivalent of two months’ pay.
The FO and the CFDT also learned on Friday last week that staff would see €50 in profit-sharing bonuses this year, compared to the €600 they received last year.
In response, the unions have also issued a “joint demand” for an “additional contribution” for employees of €600, with a meeting to discuss this issue scheduled for today (Wednesday March 14).
In addition to the strike announcement for March 31, Engeulz said some staff had already “stopped working”, especially in the warehouse and logistics divisions.
If this continues to grow, he said, there could be shortages “in certain shops by the end of the week”.
He added: “Now, between today and March 31, management might make suggestions and [this could] change the deal.
