At Geodis, a two-speed sharing of wealth

Photocopies of payslips circulate from hand to hand under eyes still incredulous. Tuesday evening, in front of the logistics hub of Geodis (subsidiary of the SNCF) in Gennevilliers (Hauts-de-Seine), dozens of employees of the company, on strike since October 17 at the call of the CGT, had gathered to denounce the astronomical pay gaps. While the workers work for salaries of 1,500 euros on average, including the night bonus, the leaders of the group’s various business sectors are paid an average of 25,000 euros per month and have received a target bonus. annual from 200,000 to 300,000 euros. The discovery of these payslips caused an explosion in the company.

Dock worker unloading the trucks as quickly as possible, from 5 p.m. until 1 a.m., Nzuzi (1), fluorescent chasuble on his back and noise-cancelling earplugs around his neck, is outraged by these staggering sums . “We work like crazy. When I saw how much they were earning, I didn’t hesitate to go on strike. Every time we ask the management for something, she replies « we’ll see later ». I receive 1,300 euros, not counting night hours. I have five dependent children, one of whom is a student. I have to do another job nearby, on weekends. I would like to earn at least 1,800 euros to be able to live and pay my rent. » In front of the entrance to the warehouse, under the barnum where dates and a clementine crate are enthroned to ensure supplies, no one is determined to release the pressure. For Mouloud Sahraoui, secretary of the CGT, it is time to say « Stop class contempt! » Employees are struggling to make ends meet. Without us, the packages are not processed and there are no bonuses of 300,000 euros either”.

With a 28% increase in turnover in 2021 (to 10.9 billion euros) and 948 million euros in profits achieved, and a two-year advance on the objectives set, the anger is general. . “They keep telling us that the results have deteriorated, that’s nonsense! denounces Mamadou, 62 years old. We are tired. We spend a lot of time standing. We have 120 euros in profit-sharing bonus every three months and no participation at all since 2015. We are asking for crumbs, not millions! »

If 82 people have stopped working out of a workforce of 200, it is because the working conditions have also become intolerable. “We carry packages with live animals in them like snakes, sometimes dangerous products”shells Moussa, 43, hired ten years ago after two and a half years of acting. “In 1 hour 30 minutes, I have to load a lorry, sometimes armored up to the ceiling, all by myself. I do it several times in the evening. They ask too much of us, it’s disrespect and harassment! If we ever go to the toilet for too long, we can receive registered mail at our house. So we have no choice but to mobilize. »

While trade unionists from SUD-PTT, CGT Monoprix and tour operator TUI, as well as elected officials from rebellious France, such as MP François Ruffin, came to support on Tuesday evening, the workers are still waiting for management to point the end. of his nose. For the moment, it has rejected all their demands and refers them to the mandatory annual negotiations (NAO) which will start in January. “They only offer us a retroactive effect of future NAO measures if we stop the strikedeplores Laurent Sambet, elected CGT at the CSE. But we still demand a general increase of 150 euros, a holiday bonus of 1,000 euros and a catch-up of 100 euros for the lowest salaries. Today, with the revaluations of the Smic, those who have ten years of seniority earn as much as a new recruit. » As the end-of-year celebrations loom, carrying their batch of parcels to be transported, the Geodis convicts are even ready to toughen up the showdown even further. “The management would do better to sit down to eat right away: they will need the employees for Christmas. The largest mass of the proletariat today is found in the logistics sector. We will have to pay those who create value with their work! » slice Frédéric Michaut, general secretary of the local union CGT of Gennevilliers.

Cecile Rousseau

(1) The first names have been changed.