French workers protest R-P/Hoechst job threat

18 February 1999 16:39  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (CNI)--French employees protested Thursday outside the neighbouring Paris offices of Rhone-Poulenc (R-P) and Hoechst Marion Roussel (HMR) over job cuts threatened by R-P's planned life sciences merger with Germany's Hoechst.

A spokeswoman for R-P told CNI that about 500 workers staged a lunchtime protest outside its headquarters west of Paris before moving on to HMR's offices less than one kilometre away. The workers' protest was organised by the trade union CGT but no talks with the companies were requested, she said.

The protest ended early afternoon, the R-P spokeswoman said.

She said no official estimates of job cuts have been given and the companies "information and consultation" process with worker representatives began on Tuesday. The consultation with employees and unions is due to end on 23 March, said the spokeswoman.

There was no-one from either HMR or CGT immediately available for comment.

The protests follow the anonymous leak last week of a pre-merger consultant's study, which reportedly told of large job cuts. Hoechst told CNI that the study did not contain official figures and the cost saving measures had not been finalised.

By: Patrick Reynolds
+44 208 652 3214

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