ECONOMY: The factory in Amiens currently employs 300 people …
On Tuesday, the US manufacturer of home appliances Whirlpool has announced plans to stop manufacturing dryer in its plant in Amiens on the 1st June 2018. The production will be relocated to Poland , as part of a restructuring of its European operations in this segment.
No layoffs in 2017
“Whirlpool France will do everything possible and commit the necessary resources” to find a buyer for its site in Amiens, employing 300 people, as well as “new activities to attract jobs,” the group added in a statement.
“No job cuts will take place in 2017” in Amiens, France and Whirlpool will implement “all social measures to identify durable solutions for the employees,” the statement said.
The existing plant of the group in Lodz (central Poland) is to become the “central point” of its new production platform dryer for the Europe, Africa and Middle East (EMEA), to benefit the “strongest economies of scale”.
In the name of ‘competitiveness’
Whirlpool justified this restructuring on behalf “of the backup (its) competitiveness” in the region, in a context of “more competitive.” For example, the minimum wage in Poland is 431 euros, against 1,480 euros in France.
“The region will suffer again, after Goodyear , now it’s our turn,” lamented to the press Frédéric Chanterelle, elected CFDT, before the factory gate.
“It was more or less expected, but it’s still a shock,” he added, referring to future “actions” of protest organized by the Inter “If we stick to simple walkouts, it will be beautiful … “he quipped.
