Schneider Electric and Alstom won the tender to buy Areva T & D. They are not at their punishment. Yesterday, the representatives of the employees of the nuclear group and its subsidiary of transmission and distribution have denounced "a fault heavy". They criticize severely the separation of the activities of high and medium voltage, to join Alstom and Schneider respectively. "Industrial policy of the France boils down to dismantling companies who walk" asked Maureen Kearney, Secretary of the Committee of European Group of Areva. The unions are considering to appeal to the authorities of competition and Social Affairs of the European Commission. Toshiba, which had offered the highest price, does not turn an appeal with the Council of State.
For the unions, the State has chosen "the worst of solutions". As Gérard Voisin, Member of UMP to Mâcon, where Areva T & D employs 730 people, they would have preferred to stay in orbit of Areva and, failing that, be sold to one of two other foreign candidates, General Electric and Toshiba, who intended to keep the undertaking as to what. They believe, as the direction of Areva T & D, that the split by the two French buyers will weaken the company competitive Giants integrated such as ABB and Siemens. According to Falk Hoinkis, Chairman of the Committee of the German subsidiary of Areva T & D company, duplicate dans average tension with Schneider will involve more than 60 of French and German employees. It compares the equipment of high and medium voltage to a car: "How would you handle if sold you a body and you said you cope for the engine, even while the competitor on the other side provides you a car with which you can immediately go"
Alstom and Schneider for their part believe that both activities will share easily and is planning to meet in common to certain invitations to tender if necessary. According to them, the volume of cases where the average and high voltage are present simultaneously is limited to 100 million euros, on a turnover of 5 billion.
No competition problem
For public authorities, the important is to reinforce Alstom and see a national champion with Schneider. Group will double in size in the average voltage and closer to the number one, group helvético-suédois ABB, with a total 80 factories, some 22,000 employees and net sales EUR 5 billion. The group chaired by Jean - Pascal Tricoire anticipates no problem of competition, the premise that the European Commission will retain the market European and not national as a relevant market as the purchase of VATech by Siemens and T & D to Alstom by Areva, in 2004. Furthermore, it notes that the customers are electricians or large industrial are extremely powerful.
Socially, the tandem view have gone very far, excluding any closure of site in Europe by 2013. He rejected any plan social except in the case of a "significant deterioration in economic conditions". Evasive wording which leaves perplexed unions. "We need everyone", says Jean-Pascal Tricoire close source to respond to this kind of fear. Two patterns have a hastily: Areva T & D employees contact and explain their project. Something which was prohibited by the sale procedure, according to the two groups. Financially, Alstom and Schneider proposed EUR 4.09 billion, aligning thus the supply of GE and approaching that of Toshiba. If the first excludes any capital increase to finance the operation, the second considers that all tracks are open. Stock market of the two companies has responded well following the announcement of this operation (Alstom Schneider 3.1 6.7).
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