The railway manufacturer Alstom could cut up to 293 jobs in France, unions fear, while management speaks, this Tuesday, February 13, of a “first estimate” communicated to staff representatives ahead of “discussions”. These job cuts will be based, “as far as possible”, on “natural departures” and “internal mobility”, explained Alstom management to AFP, confirming information from the specialist media The letter and everyday Release.
They will concern support, administrative and commercial functions at the group’s headquarters in Saint-Ouen, north of Paris. Their precise scale will be the subject of discussions with staff representatives, in particular during a CSE on Wednesday. “These are flashy stock market job cuts,” judges Vincent Jozwiak, FO trade unionist in Valenciennes. “But behind it, there are employees, and that’s not going to solve Alstom’s problem,” he reacted to AFP. “No decision has been made at this stage and it is normal to have discussions on the basis of a first estimate,” underlines management.
In November, Alstom announced a debt reduction plan with asset sales for 500 million to one billion euros, the elimination of 1,500 administrative positions worldwide and a possible capital increase, with the aim of reducing debt of 2 billion euros. The details should be known in May 2024. “We are implementing a global action plan”, in particular to reassure the rating agencies and meet “our medium-term objectives”, warned the group’s CEO, Henri Poupart. Lafarge.
At the end of January, Alstom announced that it had recorded a turnover of 4.3 billion euros in the third quarter of its delayed financial year, up 2.6% compared to the previous year. A few days later, the group finalized a giant order for 103 new metro trains from the Ile-de-France region, which will be delivered within three to five years.