Employees of the French retailer Auchan held a protest at a hypermarket in Clermont-Ferrand, opposing the company’s restructuring plans, which threaten nearly 2,400 jobs. The demonstration was reported by France Bleu radio.
The radio station shared footage of the protest on its social media platform X. Protesters marched through the store aisles chanting, “We are here, even if Auchan doesn’t want us!” Among the demonstrators were members of labor unions, including the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), Workers Force (FO), and the French Confederation of Christian Workers (CFTC), as indicated by the banners and attire displayed during the event.
On November 5, Auchan announced a restructuring plan that would result in the loss of 2,389 jobs in France. The company stated it would take measures to mitigate the impact of these layoffs, including employee support, retraining programs, job relocation assistance and a voluntary resignation scheme.
This is not the first such announcement from Auchan. In September 2020, the company revealed plans to cut 1,475 jobs in France. In July, Auchan’s parent group, Elo, reported a net loss of nearly €1 billion for the first half of the year.
