Liquidation of holofan in Andelis: salaries guaranteed until January, trade unions remain vigilant

In Andelis (Heure), the employees of the Holophane glass factory know a little more about their immediate future. At the request of staff representatives, the Commercial Court of Évreux on Thursday, November 30, decided to declare the company into judicial liquidation only from January 2, 2024, so that this procedure would not affect December salaries. Indeed, even if production has been stopped since February 2023, all employees have since then maintained their remuneration under a government-funded APLD, which will therefore continue until then. “We can announce that salaries for January are also guaranteed,” assures CGT elected official Frank Gerard, CSE Secretary, as he leaves a meeting this Monday morning with management, the current administrator and the future judicial liquidator. The layoff of 208 employees will officially begin in January with the first letters being sent.

For his part, the Prefect of Era announced that he had sought the help of Bruno Lemaire in Bercy to create “an exceptional system of individual support for Holophane employees who will lose their jobs.” This system will enable the implementation of redundancy allowance (PGL) and mobilize a support and retraining fund for the automotive sector.” Specifically, he explains, “in the coming weeks, each employee will be offered individual support and enhanced monitoring for returning to work. A help desk will be deployed to support employees who may be experiencing financial, housing, administrative or legal difficulties, health difficulties or facing barriers to mobility.

Frank Gerard has already contacted the mayor of Andely, Frédéric Duchet, the subprefect and various representatives of local authorities to discuss the modalities for the implementation of the reclassification unit. “There were a lot of obligations. Now we must put them into practice,” insists the man who, for many months, represented the interests of all Holofan employees at the center of the complex procedure. “Despite the fact that there is strong mobilization around us, I cannot say today that I am optimistic. The average age here is high – more than 48 years. With at least 20 years of experience. And even if the skills exist, people who have only known Holofan in their careers will have a hard time.

The union representative is also keeping a close eye on how the funds, which he estimates amount to more than 6 million euros, as well as the assets (machines, molds, etc.) of the century-old glass factory will be used. “We are going to mobilize so that every employee can benefit from this money, part of which should go back to them,” continues Frank Gerard, who at the moment does not know what form this action will take. – But he will.