Julian Moxon/PARIS
Unions representing Aerospatiale workers are threatening to target Airbus Industrie's operation for a series of strikes if the French state owned company is dismantled.
The unions say they will be seeking "concrete guarantees" from the Government that the management plan to divide Aerospatiale into nine independent subsidiaries will not lead to large scale lay-offs if the divisions are subsequently disposed of or merged.
"The reorganisation presented by the management could very seriously affect the future of the workforce," say three of the principal unions involved, the FO, CFE-CGC and CFTC.
Jean-Marie Riche, a senior advisor to the FO, says that Airbus will be the target "-because it is the most sensitive area of Aerospatiale's activity". Although he says strike action will be taken only "-if we absolutely have to", the threat poses considerable menace in a country where strikers have demonstrated their ability to inflict heavy industrial damage on their targets.
A new independent report into the management's re-organisation plans prepared for the unions says dismantling does not appear to be the Government's aim. It points to Aerospatiale's "coherent" portfolio of activities, but suggests that the company badly needs to be reinforced in the missiles and combat aircraft sectors.
Riche says that the unions are "-open to any plan that brings money into the company", including privatisation - an option ruled out by the Government. He adds, however, that any sell-off would demand substantial recapitalisation to build up Aerospatiale's capital funds. "It is not normal for such a big company to have such high sales against such a low capital base," he adds.
He says the Government's failure to pump in money means that it is "-still not acting responsibly" to ensure the future of France's largest aerospace manufacturer.
Source: Flight International