Prolonged blockage and occupation at Sam Viviez: "To dislodge us, they will have to use force!"

Around the departmental secretary of the CGT David Gistau and the secretary general Philippe Martinez, Rodez hosts until Friday evening the congress of the Departmental Union of the CGT, intended to lay down the main lines of work for the coming years. But if the 155 representatives worked to draw up these decisions for the future, the situation of the Sam de Viviez factory was invited into the debates.

The commercial court of Toulouse has indeed acted this Friday morning the judicial liquidation and the immediate cessation of activity of Sam. A decision "totally illegal" for David Gistau, who announces: "The employees decided this Friday in general assembly at unanimity to continue the occupation of the factory, to harden the movement and not to respect the court decision and to continue until we can obtain what we demand, namely that Renault and the State respect their commitments to maintain 250 jobs and 40 million euros in turnover. I say it to you today: to dislodge us, they will have to use force!

"Determination is relevant, not resignation, for the future of the men and women who work at Sam, and for the whole territory", continues the union representative.

"Metal poured on the national" and "a barricade all around the factory"

Faced with the brutality of this decision, anger was not long in coming on the side of Viviez. "Currently, metal is dumped on a national road near the factory, explains David Gistau. From this weekend, hotlines will take place and barricades will be set up all around the factory". Monday, the President of the Region Carole Delga will meet the employees then, Wednesday, December 1, day of Saint-Eloi, patron saint of steelworkers, a demonstration is scheduled at 11:30 am in front of the factory. All the departments of Occitania will send representatives and several regions will be represented during this event which, from hour to hour, takes on a national scope.

The rally is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. in front of the factory, in Viviez, and a "dead city" operation could be organized in the area, to highlight fears about the future of an entire territory.

Philippe Martinez: "We can't always hide behind the CEO of Renault"

"The employees are very inventive... Every day, a surprise for the prefect, Bruno the Mayor, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Emmanuel Macron. The end-of-year celebrations are going to be very special for us, but also for them But be careful: it's not the CGT union that decides everything, there are general meetings... For example, the employees did not need the CGT union to burn their voter cards, "explains the departmental secretary.

Coming to the department to attend the departmental congress, the secretary general Philippe Martinez naturally got involved in the local struggle, speaking in front of more than 3,000 people in Viviez on Thursday evening and then this Friday in front of local trade unionists. Faced with this court decision, "the first recourse is mobilization, and you saw Thursday evening that there is a very strong mobilization around Sam's employees. There are also legal remedies that, of course, we are in studying at the CGT. As of this morning, I made the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister face up to their responsibilities. We cannot always hide behind the CEO of Renault, a company whose largest shareholder is the State. .I don't think there won't be any more cars next year...there will always be a need for cross country skiers, and there's all the skills a la Sam."