Decision on SeaFrance could be as early as today
December 19, 2011
A commercial court in Paris could order the immediate liquidation of SeaFrance at a hearing this afternoon if it rejects the only takeover bid on the table for the ailing cross-Channel ferry operator.
The bid has been submitted by a co-operative of the company’s workers, piloted by the CFDT union.
“Today, we are the only ones with the power to save SeaFrance, 1,000 direct jobs and as many indirect jobs, in a region which is already an unemployment black spot,” a senior CFDT official said.
“We are offering a ready-made solution and everyone is ignoring it.”
However, the bid remains seriously short of capital, having only obtained promises of funding from local authorities of less than €15 million, with an estimated €25-30 million required for the start-up phase of the “new” SeaFrance.
The union’s call to SeaFrance parent company, state rail operator SNCF, to pledge financial support has fallen on deaf ears, with French Transport Minister Thierry Mariani arguing that such assistance would contravene EU competition regulations.
The union has issued a rallying call to its members that is likely to result in a number of coaches carrying SeaFrance seafarers heading for Paris this morning to demonstrate outside the commercial court.
Last week, DFDS and LDA (via its subsidiary, LD Lines) decided against submitting a new bid for SeaFrance, which many observers saw as effectively bringing the demise of the company a step closer.
Transport minister Mariani had attempted to set up talks in Paris with DFDS and the CFDT, but the union refused.
A CFDT official told IFW DFDS wanted a guarantee of industrial relations peace during the initial phase of a takeover operation.
“We couldn’t agree to that, as we’d have been selling out our members who would, more than likely, have to accept poorer working conditions and a cut in salaries.”
Today’s Paris court hearing is due to begin at 2.30pm local time.
Courtesy of IFW
