Nine years after the closure of their factory, the 47 former employees of Ardennes Forge, in Nouzonville (Ardennes), will have to make a part of their severance pay. Amounts ranging from 6,000 to 24,000 euros, reports France Bleu Champagne-Ardennes (France)Thursday.
From 6,000 to 24,000 euros. For the elders of Ardennes Forge, it is the end of a long judicial battle ... lost. The court of Cassation issued its decision on Thursday, the compensation of employees have been revised downward. The hidden work for which their former leaders were convicted and which led to the closure of their factory had not been taken into account. Result: a debt that ranges from 6,000 to 24,000 euros, depending on the case, for a total of 470,000 euros.
Unable to refund for some. A blow for these employees. Especially since many of them have already spent this money, live on low incomes, often the RSA, and are therefore totally unable to repay these sums. "We are desperate," confided one of them to France Bleu. Several families now demand a pardon, or at least a small gesture. But for now, nothing is foreseen.
An association as a last resort. The employees no longer have recourse to the courts since they have already appealed to the Court of Cassation. They are "at the end of the legal roll", to use the words of one of them. They now count on local elected representatives to defend their cause. In the meantime, these employees have just set up an association, "Les indignés d'Ardennes Forge". They "have nothing left to lose," they assure.