The announcement by the American group Texas Instruments to its employees at the microprocessor plant in Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice, about the elimination of 517 out of the site’s 541 jobs (plus or minus 100 subcontractors are also affected), has triggered the usual chorus of comments and proposals.
Unfortunately for the company’s employees, in addition to their professional setbacks and personal concerns, they will also have to “endure” the “eager attentions” of all the willing but useless assistants. But the opportunity is too good to pass up without making use of it.
The site will therefore close its doors in a few months as part of a global restructuring that will result in a total of 1,700 job losses worldwide.
But is it really a surprise despite the apparent general astonishment? Hard to believe when you know the political involvement of the CEO Christian Tordo and his various responsibilities as an elected official. Should we believe in sealed lips until the last moments and a strict separation of his professional role from his more political one?
That said, what use are these crocodile tears from one and all? Practically none when you know the management system of a multinational company that follows strategic options based on the interests of its shareholders and/or investors who demand, more than nice manners, efficiency in management and, in fact, especially results.
And too bad if this may have consequences, primarily on employment and the impoverishment of the industrial fabric of a territory whose geographical location they most likely don’t even know. “Capitalism is predatory by nature” – claimed Karl Marx – so why be surprised?
Furthermore, this destruction of an industrial site once again shows the intellectual sterility and provincial approach of “Made in France”: Because manufacturing French products is more or less easy and always possible, but the real problem is rather… Buying or selling French, with consumers or clients being less sensitive to the “cocorico” economic model.
TI is a classic case study!
In this noisy chorus of crickets, only one voice struck the right note, that of the prefect Christophe Marmand: “The State services will be very vigilant about the content and exemplariness of the employment safeguard plan (PSE) which will need to be implemented for the reclassification of employees. The State will also ensure the implementation, in connection with TI and local authorities, of an economic revitalization agreement to recreate all lost jobs.” We should commend these sober and precise words that need no further explanation.
Everyone has their duties and responsibilities: TI has the right to make its strategic choices but it must also fulfill its duties towards its employees.
As for the local authorities, they should consider that the attractiveness of a territory is not just about a little land, an international airport, and a pleasant living environment (the sun and sea being certainly preferable to gray skies and a dreary landscape): How many places in Europe and the world have these same advantages?
Today, we should rather give way to innovation, investment, international relations, training, and social dialogue.
Because these are the fundamentals that make the difference between mediocrity and excellence.
