Gray mine in the factories. The Minister of Industry, Roland Lescure, estimated on Monday that it was “not normal” for the sugar group Tereos to close its production site in Escaudoeuvres, in the North, while it “won money “. He must go to the site in the afternoon, to discuss with the management and the unions. His visit to the North will also pass through Caudry where the future of the Buitoni factory remains uncertain.
“I want to understand the figures, because at this stage, a company that makes money that closes a factory, I think that’s not normal, said the minister about Tereos, on the antenna of Sud Radio. What they are telling us is that they expect beet production to decrease in the next two years and that for this they intend to reconsolidate their production in three factories out of four. »
Abolition of 123 positions
The historic site of the group, owner of Béghin-Say, was soon to celebrate its 150th anniversary, but on Wednesday, the management announced its closure by mid-June, and the elimination of 123 positions, due to a “reduction sustainability” of beet production in 2023-24, with, in the Escaudoeuvres sector, a drop in sown areas of more than 10%.
“For the moment, the production of beets has not dropped, for the moment, the famous aphid, it has not struck”, exclaimed Roland Lescure, estimating that “we are crying fire then that we didn’t see a spark”.
Also at Buitoni
The minister must also go to the bedside of the employees of the Buitoni factory in Caudry, just a few kilometers away, of which the Nestlé group has announced a suspension of activity due to a drop in sales, following a serious scandal. sanitary.
He wants the factory to remain open, and called on Nestlé, owner of the site, to continue to invest in France and Caudry. According The voice of the North, about 600 people demonstrated on Monday morning in the streets of the city, to protest against the threat of closure.