Lubrizol layoffs: management reverses course and cancels 106 job cuts

This is good news that Lubrizol employees were no longer expecting. While the American giant announced in February the elimination of 169 positions in Rouen and Oudalle (Seine-Maritime) before reducing this number to a maximum of 106 at the beginning of April after a strike by employees and negotiations with the unions, there will ultimately be no job cuts. The company announced this Monday, May 5, during social and economic committees (CSE) its decision to "put an end to the project to reorganize activities" , reports the newspaper Paris Normandie .

The job protection plan is therefore officially shelved. Fabrice Jerineck, director of operations for Lubrizol additives (Europe, Middle East, Africa, and India), explained this sudden about-face to the regional daily: "We are adapting to our rapidly evolving environment by ending this procedure. We are still dealing with issues of overcapacity and competitiveness, but we have confidence in these new solutions that have emerged with our social partners."

According to the manager, the negotiations initiated with the unions have led to the emergence of avenues for safeguarding jobs. He also explains that no external pressure, from the government for example, influenced their decision. "It's purely internal. There have been major changes in the supply chain recently. We need to be agile and secure our customers' supplies. So we're adapting, evolving, and thinking about our employees and our customers," he assured.

Interviewed by local radio Tendance Ouest , François Malandain, CFE-CGC union representative at Lubrizol, said that "there is no outpouring of joy" from employees after this announcement because even if "it is good news," he noted that "trust has been broken" with management. "I think it's a step backwards to take a leap forward. I don't see how competitiveness can return to the level they wanted," he said.

The Lubrizol site in Rouen was the victim of a massive fire in September 2019. The combustion of 1,000 tonnes of chemicals caused coughing, respiratory discomfort, irritation, sore throat, nausea and vomiting in part of the local population. A follow-up report from the University of Rouen highlighted the presence of eight substances classified as "carcinogenic and mutagenic, endocrine disruptors or reprotoxic, or toxic to aquatic organisms" in the environment. A presence "linkable solely to the fire" .