France, Organisation Communiste Libertarie (OCL) - Fight against layoffs at La Redoute (fr)

Since the beginning of February, the struggle of the worker-eras Redoubt intensifies. 
After the first walkouts and protests that followed the announcement of the PSE (plan to 
cut jobs and not "safeguard") in early January, stocks tend to radicalize as when blocking 
logistics site Martinoire Wattrelos, Monday, February 3. The "Awe" as is call themselves 
the employee es struggle against the elimination of 1,178 jobs over the next 4 years. ---- 
Once largest employer in the Lille region, La Redoute is the cost of the internet and turn 
the "amazonification" the mail. The company nevertheless remains first in the area of 
clothing and home but in the name of competitiveness, the plan imposed by the billionaire 
Pinault and the new management wants inevitable as the progression of the personal fortune 
of the Pinault family [ 1]. But some es refuse this resignation and fight against poverty 
announced.
_____

The 6th French fortune shines city "poorest of France"

The long road since 1837 and the creation of Spinning the Pollet family, rue de la Redoute 
Roubaix. The city was the capital of textile industry, large middle-class families are 
making fortunes while a large labor flows in this ancient village whose population 
explode. Roubaix-Tourcoing, everything revolves around these plants and their boss, 
neighborhoods were built based on the location and needs of mills. In 1922, to deal with 
the beginnings of the crisis in the textile and sell stocks, like other Redoute (3 
Suisses, PHILDAR) decides to sell directly to the consumer. Soon released the first 
catalog, mail order is born. Therefore, the Redoute wants to adapt to new modes of 
consumption: the sale by credit in 1969, Minitel in 1984 and finally the emergence of the 
internet and e-commerce since 1994. Meanwhile, the last factories close and give way to 
wild lands that balafrent neighborhoods and populations such as Laini?re Roubaix, closed 
in 2000. Today Roubaix is classified "poorest city in France" with 45% of people living 
below the poverty threshold (977 euros / month) [2]

In 1992, Fran?ois Pinault takes control of the company and founded the PPR
(Pinault-Printemps-La Redoute) chaired by his son Fran?ois-Henri. In good capitalist, 
Pinault parlayed its assets by organizing the first restructuring at FNAC, Conforama, 
Vertbaudet, etc.. But the sale relates enough and decides to invest in what will never 
know the crisis: the luxury and lifestyle (Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Puma, etc..). To 
symbolize this change, the PPR Group changes its identity and becomes Kering in 2011. 
Also, sales start: Spring, Conforama, part of Fnac, Verbaudet and now Redoute. Already in 
2008, the first large redundancy plan is organized 672 people gather on the floor, this is 
added to a policy of voluntary departure in retirement. Result: In 1998, there were 6,304 
employee-es, today there 2,432 employees, and tomorrow with the PES, there will be more 
than half the workforce.

Meanwhile, 2013 was a record year for 10 years for the stock market as PPR-Kering [3]. 
Possible increase in the transfer of the capital gain Redoubt in the luxury sector. An 
expert report [4] commissioned by the Works Council of La Redoute an outside firm said: 
"La Redoute has contributed significantly to the growth of PPR which counts 256 million 
euros in dividends and ? 113 million fee paid by brand La Redoute PPR, then Kering between 
1997 and 2012. " What develop the luxury division of the group while business investment 
for Redoute decreased by ? 10 million ...

Recovery plan ... of unemployment

For several months, preparing the employee unions-are the new and tried to mobilize. The 
announcement of the sale is made ??in October 2013 with the key already cut 700 positions 
to "give a healthy business buyers to" dixit Kering. The recovery is signed in early 
December, the future boss is ... the current patron of the Redoute: Nathalie Balla 
associated with a group finance director Eric Courteille. We take the same and again to 
discuss a "social plan" renamed "business plan" for the occasion. The beginning of 2014 is 
bitter, it is more than 700 but 1,178 job cuts over 4 years more than half of which will 
be redundancies. To this is added 172 layoffs of 569 employees Relais Colis, a subsidiary 
of Redoute responsible for delivering orders to customers. Not to mention the impact on 
the outskirts of the business: traders, cafes, sandwich only have to put the key under the 
door.

All sectors are affected, logistics with sites Martinoire Wattrelos and those of Tourcoing 
(Tourcoing 2 and 5) will be the first to toast but also customer service and control 
headquarters Roubaix. For those who remain, this recovery plan means worsening working 
conditions. The site specializes in Tourcoing 5 furniture will be outsourced to Anzin near 
Valenciennes. Logistics will be a subsidiary which will cause a change in the collective 
agreement that pass the mail to the transport, one of the worst in terms of social rights. 
Finally the site Martinoire Wattrelos must be rebuilt and modernized, automated understand 
what still bodes bad news for worker-es. Back to the wall, the employee-es only have to 
try to defend themselves.

"We are formidable and we will show them"

It is on this slogan launched by a strike that Monday, February 3, the Martinoire was 
blocked all day (from 5 am to 22h) by a hundred employee-es. Mobilization appears to be 
slowing as we approach the deadline set by management expects mid-April to finalize the 
sale. If no agreement bosses / unions is reached by then, Nathalie Balla threat of 
throwing in the towel ... usual tactic to believe what is happening to Mory Ducros or 
elsewhere.
Unions are in all cases at the center of issues . A Redoubt, CFDT majority then comes 
South CGT and CFE-CGC (the union executives). Everyone tries to act Inter but after the 
first indignation, borders and contradictions are marked depending on the compromise 
offered margin management. CFE-CGC aims to minimize losses while trying "to make the 
company profitable" , the CFDT offers "from management to make between 500 and 600 people 
in pre-retirement age of 55 and if it is not heard, we go up to the plate " , the South is 
not more protest finally CGT calls "to enter the hard mobilizing to pressure and there is 
the fewer employees on the floor" . [5] All, the CGT is the most combative, it is also the 
most politicized union with some members in Workers Struggle.



Since these statements of good intentions, the unions are negotiating table and 
differences come to light, especially on the central issue premiums layoffs. CFE-CGC 
starts immediately offside relative to worker-eras denouncing blocking industrial site 
Martinoire undermining the "economic viability" . "Managers do not care premiums for 
workers, leaving them with more than ? 100 000 " finds Ali worker Martinoire to 15 years 
in CDI. Remains the CFDT, CGT and South, each of which advance a different claim: "For the 
CFDT is 20,000 euros with reintegration internships" , summarizes Ali, "for South, it is 
in my case only 18 month's salary (about 20 000 euros too) and also accompanying measures 
remains the CGT which the figure of 000 100 each. We we want the maximum history to have 
10 years guarantee, this is nothing to Pinault! . " For those who remain, it is to keep 
acquired that is to say, the 13th month, the seniority bonus, tickets restaurant and 
profit sharing. Cherry tails compared to profits Pinault What Redoubt (see expert report 
cited above).


Thus, in the present and knowing what to expect after this restructuring climate, nobody 
really wants to stay in the logistics Redoute. Field but also on the social networks, Awe 
trying to organize without necessarily endorsed by entangled in the negotiations are not 
progressing unions voluntarily. But even if the determination of some is intact, it is 
clear that we must rely on to take action: "there are about 150 motivated on dams, more 
than 2,000 employee-es, it is not much thing! Finally, it is always the same, " concluded Ali.

P'tits three laps and then go and do do do

It's the little jingle that we have offered policies on the Redoute. In November, the 
staffs start their campaign. Martine Aubry regrets in the press "have been cruised by the 
leaders of the Redoubt and Kering" and adds "It is irresponsible to announce that with 
such brutality" . For its part, Saintignon Stone, vice president of the Regional Council 
is crestfallen because Nathalie Balla "she said we would know" . [6] Missed. But Martine 
Aubry knows the Pinault family for hosting the art of Fran?ois Pinault Foundation in 
2007-2008 as part of a "Lille 3000" exhibition at Tripostal. This exhibition was also a 
prophetic title "Passage of Time". With this artistic friendship, Martine Aubry is in 
great pomp to meet Fran?ois-Henri Pinault November 12, 2013, along with elected officials 
including Pierre Dubois, PS mayor of Roubaix and Dominique Baert, deputy mayor related PS 
Wattrelos. All this small world spring reassured because "the president Pinault told us 
clearly and I take his words: Redoute expertise that allows its industrial sustainability" .

Two months later with the recovery plan Balla / Courteille, job losses have almost 
doubled. Policies hurry to take back the Redoubt record became too hot for electoral 
campaigns. Social democracy rather spend pacts with confidence MEDEF, it will not save 
jobs. "Either way, it does not mix with the policies, they bring us nothing," said Ali 
after recalling that Martine Aubry had proposed tickets for the football match Lille / 
Rennes (owned by Pinault) in order to hear the dispute before retracting fear of "excesses" .
Formidable The yellow laugh. Kering his side promises to pay $ 315 million for "economic 
and industrial transformation of the enterprise" : 50 million to rebuild a Martinoire 30 
million for information technology and the modernization of the company, 157 million to 
offset the "losses expected " , 80 million working capital. Only a trust (fund for social 
measures) has existed to finance redundancies and provide room for negotiation with the 
unions. At the moment, no amount is fixed.

Operating in Amazonia 2.0

To justify dismissal, Nathalie Balla and Eric Courteille call for the necessary adaptation 
Redoubt against competitors as ventepriv?e.com or Amazon increasingly competitive as 
quicker to prepare orders and send them. Currently Redoubt, it takes about 1 day and a 
half for these operations, management wants to drastically reduce this time by totally 
redesigning logistics, especially on the site of the Martinoire should be modernized. It 
should be more than 2 hours to ship packages. For employee-es, this means job losses: 1250 
people today to 550 people, and a worsening of working conditions: increased flexibility, 
working 7/7, passing the collective agreement transport much less favorable . As 
summarized Fabrice Peeters CGT: "It will be the prison" .



The prison, he is already talking at Amazon. "Workers at Amazon are far far progress of 
twenty-first century" wrote JB Malet in his investigative book in the Amazon . "Working 
conditions are worthy of the nineteenth century (the time the most brutal capitalist 
exploitation). Logistics warehouses are governed by a very specific organization of work 
is not simply that of Taylorism and Fordism. It includes all the potential of the Internet 
and provides control tools perfectly unprecedented productivity. " And control worker-eras 
at the same time. Preparers Amazon control Lauwin-Planque near Douai can attest.

For e-capitalist, it is not wasting time and some feed on the corpse already steaming 
Redoubt. And Guillaume Delbar, UMP candidate for mayor of Roubaix, imagine the premises 
abandoned by Redoute, the Blanchm @ ille project would be a center dedicated to e-commerce 
invested start-up [7]. This project is in fact led by Euratechnologies and society Picom 
(specializing in trade and innovation) that are calling for the formation of a "VAD 
[Distance Selling] Valley." Already, the project caught the attention of LMCU (Lille urban 
community) even if it does not like the premature announcement of William Delbar. But it 
is already fully engaged in the textile revolution in 2012 with the inauguration of the 
European Centre for Innovative Textiles (CETI) in Tourcoing where we are working on 
intelligent textiles tomorrow, woven with optical fibers.

Strive to be feared

Seen capitalism and its ongoing restructuring leads to layoffs or wage exploitation 
increasingly strong. No outcome is possible. The "Awe" have understood. Last week and not 
necessarily endorsed by the unions, they are organized and led strong actions: Monday, 
February 3, the Martinoire was totally blocked 5h ??to 22h, unions have confessed follow 
the movement despite Thursday, February 6 storm hundreds of Awe demonstrated alongside 
employee-es-Stora Enzo (a printing company that farm near Douai). About unions, some-es 
have a clear-cut advice from the lost 2008 against 672 redundancies movement. At the time, 
the unions signed the PSE but came out of the negotiations, highlighting the fact that 
they had obtained a small increase in wages: "there will be no more smicards the Redoute" 
Had they said since the mistrust on social dialogue.

In the coming weeks, further actions will be conducted because only the fight will get 
money and guarantees. At the moment, strikes are sparse and non-renewable. Ali is yet 
clear on how that should take the future movement: "we are ready to fight, do as Goodyear, 
get the most money possible by the strike and actions. But for now I'm working again and 
he (Pinault) is the money on our backs " . Everything to build and call our support and 
our mobilization.

Fabien on 12/02/2014



Post Scriptum

Updated 2/21/2014

Since writing the article, there were other mobilizations. Monday, February 17, a filter 
dam was established to Martinoire to tow and try to mobilize non-strikers. In the process, 
a GA was held in the dining room with over 350 people.
Everyone-e could speak, stewards stayed away and also some unions are increasingly frowned 
upon by some (particularly South and CFDT). Following the AG, action ideas were passed but 
they remain unclear at present.
Friday, February 21, the site was blocked Martinoire at 4:30 by lighting palette. Then, 
the strikers went to the executive offices in Roubaix to disrupt the negotiations that 
lead nowhere. Also this week, the employee-es were summoned to the offices of HR "consider 
disciplinary sanctions following the blockages." Whenever there is walkouts support.

___

Notes

[1] 6th French fortune from the magazine Challenges . In 2012, his personal fortune is 
estimated at ? 6.3 billion in 2013 to ? 11 billion.
[2] Figures INSEE, 2011-2012.
[3] BFM Business , February 2013.
[4] Cited in Humanity December 5, 2013.
[5] Taking different words stewards in the press ( Voix du Nord , January 2013).
[6] Voix du Nord , 12 and 13 November 2013
[7] Voix du Nord , 02 / 02/2014.