Sanofi France “guarantees the sustainability” of jobs
Promises only bind those who believe them, says the adage. The president of Sanofi France, Audrey Duval, guaranteed this Thursday on RTL the “sustainability” of jobs, production sites and Doliprane, before the start of a strike by several unions in the group to oppose the sale of its Opella subsidiary.
Asked about the fears of unions regarding the anticipated sale of this entity of non-prescription consumer products, which markets around a hundred brands including Doliprane, to an American CD&R fund, Audrey Duval said she “understands the concerns”. “We hear them and afterwards, it’s normal for them to have these questions since in fact, we are during an operation which has not been finalized. So, in fact, the social dialogue and the negotiation process has not started,” said Audrey Duval.
“I guarantee Doliprane in pharmacies for the French” as well as the “sustainability of jobs and production sites” in France over “several years”, she affirmed, while the CFDT and CGT unions of Sanofi called Wednesday to a renewable strike starting this Thursday.
Towards a “social breakdown”?
The unions fear a “social breakdown” in the 1,700 jobs that Opella has on French soil, including 500 on its site in Compiègne (Oise) and 250 in its factory in Lisieux (Calvados), entirely dedicated to Doliprane. The strike will be particularly marked on these two sites, according to the unions.
In this possible transaction, the outlines of which are still in the discussion phase, “Sanofi will remain a 50% shareholder”, which gives it a “right of veto over extremely strategic decisions of the group, such as Doliprane”, underlined Audrey. Duval. She insisted that Opella’s headquarters, management team and employees at its French sites “will remain in France”.
This week, the government asked stakeholders for guarantees in terms of maintaining employment, the industrial footprint, the location of headquarters and research and development.
