The auto part factory GM & S Industry, located in La Souterraine, has 283 employees (their average age is 49 years old) and is the second-largest private employer in the Creuse district, located in central France. In 11 days, the factory, which has been under judicial administration since December, could close permanently if a buyer is not found. On Thursday, the workers occupied the site, destroyed materials, damaged a press and, according to the CGT (French General Confederation of Unions), there are cans of gasoline and gas cylinders under the building, ready to explode.
CGT spokesman Vincent Labrousse explains: “We are sorry it has gotten to this point, but the threat today is a pure and simple liquidation. If that is the case, the factory will not be returned intact. We refuse to be cheated.”
Workers are turning their claims to the two French car manufacturers, PSA and Renault. These customers of GM & S reduced their orders and replaced the company for cheaper vendors elsewhere. This has brought the company to the verge of bankruptcy.