The announcement came through a press release on Friday, June 14th. A project that now needs to be submitted to the employee representative bodies and the relevant competition authorities. In Corsica, the Codim 2 group represents 1,300 employees.
For over eight months now, the 1,300 employees of the Codim 2 group, a subsidiary of Casino in Corsica, have been living in uncertainty. Uncertainty about what will happen to their jobs since the announcement of the national Casino group’s acquisition.
Eight months of waiting, and perhaps on June 14th, now, a possible answer: in a press release, the Casino group announced that it is entering into exclusive negotiations with Auchan Retail France and Rocca groups for the sale of its subsidiary Codim 2, “which operates 4 hypermarkets, 9 supermarkets, 3 Cash & Carry, and 2 drive-ins in Corsica, with a turnover of 332 million euros in 2023,” it was detailed. The Rocca group currently operates the only Auchan store in Corsica.
The Casino group assures that the discussions will be conducted “in the best interest of Codim 2 and its employees, as well as its local partners.” The press release specifies: “all activities, employees, and support functions would be taken over and continued under the Auchan brand.”
This sale project will now be submitted to the relevant employee representative bodies and the competent competition authorities.
Eric Lunardi, a delegate for the STC union, confirmed that the union was contacted “yesterday evening to inform us of the exclusive negotiations with the Auchan group.”
“We do not have the role to take sides for one or the other,” he said. “We are a union organization, and what interests us the most is the common good of the employees. So we will be very vigilant about this. We have imperatives, and we will assert them.”
Eric Lunardi stated that he is waiting to be able to review the project in question to speak more in detail on the subject. “In principle, from that moment on, we will be able to see more clearly about the next steps.” In the meantime, the union representative remains cautious.
In a press release sent in the afternoon on Friday, the STC emphasized that it remains determined “on its positions and demands unchanged since December 2023,” including the “non-resale of the group in pieces and the maintenance of all stores and headquarters,” the retention of all jobs, and the “maintenance of the social status of employees acquired after years of social and union struggle.”
“The Codim Group was working with local producers to the extent of 20% of the volume of goods… What about this local supply in the future?” the union asked.
“The STC, faithful to its positions, is concerned about the future of this local production, which allows both a certain food autonomy and a significant contribution to the Corsican economy. We wish to warn the management of the Rocca group and affirm that our union organization will rise with strength and determination in the event that they do not respect the very principles of social dialogue and the maintenance of our social achievements,” the press release continued.
The STC executive concluded by requesting a meeting with Mr. Patrick Rocca as soon as possible.
As a reminder, on April 25th, the CEO of Casino visited Bastia to meet with the island unions and discuss the national reorganization project of the group. Each representation was received separately.
This visit did not lead to the same reactions between the representatives of the STC, who expressed some disappointment due to the lack of specific indications about the situation, and those of the CGT, who came out of the meeting “satisfied and confident.”