- Title: Anger mounts for unions as Airbus details layoffs plan in France
- Date: 2nd July 2020
- Summary: BLAGNAC, FRANCE (JULY 1, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF AIRBUS OFFICES IN BLAGNAC NEAR TOULOUSE BLAGNAC, FRANCE (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS) SHEEP GRAZING NEAR PLANES ON AIRBUS COMPOUND BLAGNAC, FRANCE (JULY 1, 2020) (REUTERS) AIRBUS PLANE SEEN THROUGH FENCE BLAGNAC, FRANCE (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS) AIRBUS PLANE VARIOUS OF UNION REPRESENTATIVES AND JOURNALISTS GATHERED OUTSIDE SITE (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH UNION FORCE OUVRIERE REPRESENTATIVE, JEAN-FRANCOIS KNEPPER, SAYING: "That's the price of glory. Toulouse is the world aeronautics capital, so when the storm comes, Toulouse gets more drenched than others. Now, that's not a reason to justify anything and everything, and that's what we'll make sure to explain to our bosses." SAINT-MICHEL DU TOUCH, FRANCE (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SECURITY GUARDS STANDING OUTSIDE AIRBUS SAINT-MICHEL DU TOUCH SITE NEAR TOULOUSE BLAGNAC, FRANCE (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF AIRBUS OFFICES (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH UNION FORCE OUVRIERE REPRESENTATIVE, JEAN-FRANCOIS KNEPPER, SAYING: "Most especially, the government has explained that this is not reasonable, the measures that the government has taken should allow us to save at least 2,000 jobs. What we're saying is that 2,000 jobs is great, thanks to the government, but we have to put in more effort, otherwise we won't get through this. And we're telling our (Airbus) leaders, you've heard that, the government is making an effort, what effort are you putting in?" MEAULTE, FRANCE (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS) UNION BANNER ON GATES OF FACTORY OF AIRBUS SUB-CONTRACTOR STELIA VARIOUS OF STELIA WORKERS GATHERED AS UNION REPRESENTATIVE GIVES ADDRESS (SOUNDBITE) (French) GENERAL DELEGATE FOR UNIONS OF STELIA, DANY DEVAUX, SAYING: "Rest assured that we will not let go of our bosses. The public money that has just been allotted to companies should first and foremost serve to protect our jobs. This money is our taxes. It's also a debt that will burden our future." WORKERS GATHERED BLAGNAC, FRANCE (JULY 1, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF AIRBUS PLANES ON COMPOUND NANTES, FRANCE (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS) AIRBUS FACTORY ENTRANCE (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH UNION CFE-CGC AIRBUS REPRESENTATIVE, XAVIER DAHERON, SAYING: "(The layoffs are) brutal since this plan entails 484 job cuts here in Nantes, and brutal since the time limit for the implementation of the measures is limited to one year, one little year, since in the current state of the announcements, all the measures should be finished and in place by summer 2021." FACTORY ENTRANCE (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH UNION CGT AIRBUS REPRESENTATIVE, MIGUEL SALLES, SAYING: "This is a disastrous sign to show the youth in our two Airbus schools, our centres for apprenticeship, this is a disastrous sign to show them. We're showing the youth that they should turn away from the aeronautics jobs. We're showing the youth that there's no future for aeronautics." GETAFE, SPAIN (JULY 2, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF AIRBUS SITE
- Embargoed: 16th July 2020 14:08
- Keywords: Airbus France Spain Toulouse coronavirus job cuts layoffs restructing unemployment
- Location: BLAGNAC, SAINT-MICHEL DU TOUCH, NANTES AND MEAULTE, FRANCE / GETAFE, SPAIN
- City: BLAGNAC, SAINT-MICHEL DU TOUCH, NANTES AND MEAULTE, FRANCE / GETAFE, SPAIN
- Country: France
- Topics: Company News Markets,Economic Events
- Reuters ID: LVA001CL4ASSN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Unions have expressed their anger around France on Thursday (July 2) as Airbus detailed its restructuring plan that will entail thousands of job cuts globally.
Airbus left the door open on Wednesday to scaling back its planned 15,000 job cuts in exchange for government-funded labour schemes and research, as its coronavirus restructuring stoked political and union alarm.
Europe's largest aerospace group plans to cut 11% of its global workforce, after a 40% slump in its 55 billion euro ($61.8 billion) jet business, sparking anxiety about compulsory redundancies in France, Germany, Spain and Britain.
Airbus sites in its headquarters city of Toulouse in southwestern France are most hardly hit, with 3,500 positions slashed.
Speaking at the Blagnac site near Toulouse, union representatives contested the company's decision, citing government leader's push to keep the cuts to a minimum.
"That's the price of glory. Toulouse is the world aeronautics capital, so when the storm comes, Toulouse gets more drenched than others," Force Ouvriere union representative Jean-Francois Knepper said.
France has urged Airbus to make as few forced layoffs as possible, while French and German unions said compulsory cuts at the European planemaker were a "red line."
Airbus' Nantes site is set to lose 484 positions, or 20 percent of its staffing. Airbus subcontractor Stelia, in northern France, will also see 100 jobs go.
Stelia workers gathered outside their factory on Thursday as union representatives slammed the plan.
"The public money that has just been allotted to companies should first and foremost serve to protect our jobs. This money is our taxes," Stelia union delegate Dany Devaux said.
More than two thirds of the global cuts are in France and Germany where Airbus sites are running 40% below pre-crisis levels. Airbus has also said it will lay off 900 workers in Spain.
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