Saturday, September 24, 2016

Alstom: thousands of protesters in Belfort during a day “dead city” – Challenges.fr

“If Alstom closes, we are all screwed”: thousands of people marched Saturday in Belfort, in an attempt to save the historic site of the manufacturer of the TGV and its 400 jobs are under threat, on the occasion of a day “dead city”, where almost all of the merchants have closed shop as a sign of solidarity. In this town of 50,000 inhabitants, where the plant Alstom has installed since 1879, the demonstrators, including some families with children, were about 3,500 according to the police, “more than 5,000″ according to the mayor. They marched behind banners proclaiming “All states to Alstom Belfort” and “Support to Alsthommes”.

At the head of the parade were a delegation of the employees of Alstom and another made up of dozens of local elected officials, wearing their scarf habs.

“We are not determined to hunker down, the story of Belfort was made in the Resistance!” exclaimed the micro-Damien Meslot, mayor (LR) of this town of 50,000 inhabitants, under the applause of the crowd. “We ask the CEO (the industrial group) and the government give the orders necessary for the survival of the site”, which is released the first high-speed train in 1971, where 400 jobs are at risk out of 480 in total.

“The company has no financial issue”

“We are engaged in a tug of war that we will win!”, launched from his side, Pascal Novelin, delegate CGT of the industrial site, also highly acclaimed.

“Of prospects, there are: the Grand Paris, the TGV of the future, the development of freight transport and of rail, rather than buses on the road as has been done by (former minister of the Economy Emmanuel) Macron,” added the trade unionist, stressing that the company had “no financial issue”.

merchants, in solidarity of Alsthommes

On the ride to the event, almost all of the independent shops had dropped their curtain and wore on their storefront signs: “Support to Alsthommes”, distributed by the municipality. According to the mayor, about 80% of the traders had followed the word order of closure of 14h to 15h. Only some national brands were left in the open.

“nothing would Be lost by closing for one hour, however you will lose a lot if Alstom goes,” summary Lucette, the proprietress of a tobacconist who had followed willingly to the word order.

It is the second day of mobilization important in Belfort, after a first appearance on 15 September, which was attended by some 2,000 people.

(With AFP)

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