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Micarna employees at Écublens VD go on strike due to anger at management. Migros announced that its meat processing facility, which has 84 employees, will be closed in the spring of 2025. Work has been stopped since Thursday morning. The strikers called on the management to negotiate. As the Unia union explained, they “rejected dialogue” in vain.
Blick was able to speak with a striking Micarna employee through the union. He explains the reasons for his anger anonymously and over the phone. And what caused him and his colleagues to go on strike?
How are you this morning?
We’ve been here since 4.30 in the morning. We all gathered in front of the Micarna factory in Écublens. The manager came and tried to persuade us to return to our workplace. However, we rejected the social plan they offered us because it was not suitable. Then HR managers, including the HR manager, arrived. He met with us and the management.
What did those in charge tell you?
Together with two other Migros representatives, they made some kind of threat: If we do not return to work, there may be legal consequences. They wanted us to go back to work. We refused because they had to come to the negotiating table first so we could defend our rights.
Is the strike widely observed?
As all employees, we are together until the end. Only some temporary workers and two bosses who did not join our strike are working. I still have a future ahead of me. I have to work for about twenty more years. But I am in solidarity with all my colleagues. Whether we’re approaching retirement or not, we’re all in the same boat. What we want is a fair social plan.
What would a just social plan look like?
We never received anything in writing. The HR officer who spoke to us read the paper in his hand before, that’s all. Our requests to retrieve only this page were rejected. We should be able to read the social plan peacefully at home and study all its points. Especially since February 26, they have been pressuring us to find new jobs. If we find a new job before the closure, we will no longer be part of the social plan.
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What does this mean to you specifically?
If I start a new job in a few months and things don’t go well, I’ll lose everything. Micarna would put me in a situation where I would be penalized in the event of unemployment and unable to access the social scheme because I submitted my resignation before the closure.
Migros has promised jobs at other branches, including Micarna in Courtepin FR. How come?
Job postings have been published that can already be found on the Internet. I tried to apply to Migros but was rejected due to my profile. In fact, there is no process in which the employer does its best to rehire us within the company.
Was it different before?
When they closed the fish factory in Ecublens, the public was given a chance and support. At that time, they were rehiring everyone into more or less similar positions or positions that suited them. Now they say there’s jobs in Courtepin, an hour’s drive from here. But without promising a similar position. If we say no to the positions at Courtepin, we will be left out of the social plan.
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Do you see this as disrespect from Migros?
Communication is very poor. This isn’t even a social plan. It is sand thrown into our eyes. Some of us started apprenticeships here at the age of 16 and are still working at the company. Can you imagine how you feel today? They have lived here almost all their lives. Well, we get our money, salaries come. But you still have to respect people because we are all here every morning, we arrive on time, orders are delivered on time and we don’t leave until everything is ready. They don’t want to do anything for us right now, so we continue the strike.
Management promised you a meeting on Friday morning, correct?
This is true. Let’s see what they say because there is no negotiation right now. Management does not recognize the Unia union as staff representation. However, the internal committees that were supposed to represent us did not come. His salary is paid by Micarna, not by the employees. Nobody came to look for a solution today.
So there is a lot of anger.
Yes. My colleagues and I ask questions. But they lack direct and clear answers. We are all here to defend our rights. Mechanics, boners, pre-packers, even some managers: Everyone is waiting here. We are outside the building now. We remain decent without protesting. We just want to negotiate. If there is no negotiation, we will stay all day until the end of our working hours.
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
