The CGT accuses the Vertbaudet company of recruiting temporary workers to replace strikers. The union asked the courts on Tuesday to terminate these contracts. The management of the sign for children ensures, for its part, to be in the legality and explains it by a temporary peak of activity.
The Lille court, before which some sixty employees demonstrated on Tuesday, the vast majority of them women, must render its decision on May 4. Several dozen employees of the Marquette-Lez-Lille logistics warehouse have been on strike since March 20 to demand a wage increase. Tuesday, 72 people entered their sixth week of strike, on this site with 327 employees, according to Vertbaudet.
84 temporary workers, 82 strikers
After the recruitment of temporary workers at the start of the strike, the CGT commerce federation initiated summary proceedings to “have the judge note that Vertbaudet is using temporary workers to circumvent the right to strike” and “immediately prohibit this practice “, explained, to AFP, the lawyer of the union, Me Damien Condamin.
Called by the CGT, the Labor Inspectorate ordered a check on March 22. In an e-mail dated April 7, “the inspector writes ‘I found that 84 temporary workers have been recruited to replace 82 strikers'”, denounced, at the hearing, the union’s second lawyer, Me Arthur Gandolfo .
Vertbaudet’s management, for its part, contested any illegal hiring. His lawyer reported before the court “testimonies from all the other unions: CFE-CGC, FO and CFTC”, attesting that the management “did not replace the striking employees”.
The use of temporary workers is “limited to the replacement of non-striking employees (work stoppage for illness, accident at work, parental leave)” and also responds “to a temporary increase in activity”, linked to a promotional operation by Vertbaudet, then detailed the direction, in a press release.