Three Stellantis automobile factories shut down due to supplier strike

The Stellantis automobile factories in Poissy, Hordain and Luton (England) are at a standstill due to a long strike at MA France, an Ile-de-France factory which supplies them with essential parts, according to consistent sources. Stellantis confirmed on Thursday the shutdown of the three sites and “actively monitors the situation with MA France,” said a spokesperson.

MA France stamps bodywork and chassis parts in Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis) for small Peugeot or Citroën utility vehicles, for Opel Mokka and DS3 Crossback SUVs, and also for Renault. MA France employees have been on strike since April 17 at the call of an inter-union CGT-CFDT-FO “in order to obtain guarantees on the future of their employment and the sustainability of the industrial site”, according to the CGT .

As a result, the Hordain and Poissy factories have been shut down since April 22, and Luton since an unspecified date, Stellantis said. The production lines of French factories are stopped and employees stay at home, receiving 84% of their salary, said Brahim Ait Athmane, of the FO metallurgist union Val de Seine.

“Stellantis, with its colossal profits, has the means to maintain all jobs and salaries,” FO said in a press release. “The company must stop its practices of exploiting subcontractors and negotiate in good faith with employee representatives and stop this employment blackmail.” According to the CGT, the management of MA France has mentioned a possible bankruptcy filing “in the event of failure of relatively obscure negotiations with its main partner Stellantis”.

Stellantis responded that no negotiations were underway. The manufacturer had withdrawn production at the factory in 2021. Factory management could not be reached Thursday. According to Stellantis, MA France “encounters structural competitiveness difficulties which handicap it in the acquisition of new markets. The inflationary context (materials, labor, energy) also impacts its profitability. The Franco-Italian-American manufacturer said it was “optimistic about the resolution of the resumption of operations”.