If the company where you have devoted over 20 years of your life suddenly gives you notice of discharge, how would you feel? Especially if they did it in a one-page letter sent by delivery boy?

This is fact, not fiction. On 26 October 2009, we went to the factory as usual and like a bolt from out of the blue, the company abruptly announced they would close their Korea plant, effective that very day. The next day, the top management and managerial staff disappeared and we had no one to negotiate with. On 30 October 2009, the workers received termination notices, not in person but by delivery boy. A fly-by-night sweatshop? No, this happened at the Korea plant of French transnational “Valeo,” a global corporation with 60,000 employees worldwide in 27 countries and global supplier of world-famous automaker Renault, including the Renault-Samsung auto plant in Korea!

Thus, we were plunged into precariousness at the beginning of winter, without any employment, and evicted from the factory dormitory. Valeo’s response was that the economic crisis obliged each to make sacrifices! Yet right before this shock, on 20 October 2009, in Paris, Valeo announced their “highest third quarter margins since 2005”! After its Board of Directors meeting that day, the French company even bragged that it anticipates continued recovery and must revise upwards its production figures for remainder of 2009 thanks in part to a strong rebound of Asian markets including +14% change in Korean markets!

The company refuses negotiations about this unilateral mass dismissal and illegitimate liquidation! Since it took over the Korea plant in 2005, Valeo took to France “branch commission” of 3% (on average) turnover every month, in addition to royalties without re-investing in the Korea facilities. Valeo sold parts of the Korea plant’s real estate assets with immediate transfer of the cash to France. The Valeo Compressor Korea factory has been profitable and has the low debt ratio of only 28%, but Valeo unilaterally closes this sound factory and puts all the workers, who had contributed to its profit while enduring income loss, manpower reduction and disregard for trade unions, in a situation of great precariousness. This French company breached article 41 of the collective agreement it had signed—which requires 90 days prior notification, negotiation with the union and for the company to come to agreement with the union before major changes to a part or all of the company—and has turned a deaf ear to the utter minimum of social responsibility if not on the conscience of society.

That is why we came here today to ask the workers and people in France to show your support and join your voices to ours so our legitimate claims on Valeo and Renault can be heard. They will hear your voice! We are fighting for the (1) re-operation of our factory, (2) the withdrawal of the unjustified mass dismissal of the workers of Valeo Compressor Korea, and (3) for Valeo to open direct negotiations with the trade union on these claims.

What you can do to help us!

1. Sign a petition calling on Valeo and Renault to assume their social responsibility!

2. Wear a ribbon—and ask your colleagues to wear a ribbon—to show your solidarity with the Korean workers wronged by French transnationals, Valeo and Renault!

3. Join your voice to ours in sit-in, protest or flyering so that Valeo and Renault can finally hear and meet our claims.

4. Call Valeo and Renault to tell them their actions are unjust and you require them to assume their social responsibility!
Valeo: (01) 40 55 37 93 Renault: (01) 76 84 04 04

Korean Metal Workers’ Union Valeo Compressor Korea Local Struggle Delegation to France

Notice: there are more articles and documents on this struggle in the French section of ESSF website. To reach it, click on the “translation section” button in the left column.

Valeo Sites Internationally (from Valeo.com)

Countries:
Argentina
Austria (only sales office)
Belgium
Brazil
China
Czech Republic
Egypt (only an R&D office)
France
Germany
Greece (only sales office “service liaison office”)
Hungary
India
Ireland (only an R&D office)
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Netherlands (only two sales offices; no production)
Poland
Romania
Russia
Slovakia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sweden (2 sales offices, 1 “customer site,” 1 R&D center, 1 national directorate; no production per se)
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States

Group Overview
Present in 27 countries, the Group employs 52,500 people at 119 production sites, 22 Research centers, 38 Development centers and 10 distribution platforms.

Group Headquarters:
43, rue Bayen - 75848 Paris Cedex 17 - France
Tel : +33 1 40 55 20 20
Fax : +33 1 40 55 21 71