Driven by inflation and concerns regarding purchasing power, the Dutch non-food discounter Action recently showed its good financial health in its results, which contrasts with the precarious situation of some of its employees, who have gone as far as to demonstrate at the group’s headquarters in France.
On December 1, 2022, a dozen young people crossed the gates of a business park in Pont de Flandres, in the north-east of Paris. Mostly from a store in Tourcoing, they took over the entrance to the headquarters of their employer, Action France. Objective of this mobilization headed by the CGT: to denounce the “management by fear that is current there”.
Khaled, 10 years at the CGT and one year at Action, and Anthony, 21, explain that they were dismissed on the basis of “collections of facts”. “Each failure observed by a manager, he writes it down and the list comes back to you at the moment when they want to part with you,” says Anthony.
“Collection of Facts”
The “shortcomings” mentioned by the two men? The first explains that he “pointed out that because we have a full uniform to put on, French law provides that we have a time for clothing deducted from working time”. The second said he had “not left enough change in the cash register” at the end of the day. According to him, his management prefers to have change on hand to avoid having to “call the conveyor to get coins”.
The management of Action confirms the practice of the “collection of facts” but denies using it for a dismissal file: “this document was drawn up to facilitate communication but is in no way a sanction tool used for disciplinary purposes. In any case, “it has now been removed to promote dialogue between managers and teams”.
Challenge layoffs? “Of course, I’m going to win at the prud’hommes”, says Khaled once more, “but with my half-time, what am I going to win, 900 euros? In our store, 50% of the twenty or so employees work 24 hours a week, 6 hours over four days, 30% 30 hours a week, 20% every 35 hours. Action doesn’t mind paying these indemnities. »
The discounter has already been condemned several times in France for irregularities, according to several judgments. In Puy-de-Dôme, an ex-employee dismissed for “unsuitability” in 2022 had to rely on justice to collect her balance on all accounts. Another, who resigned at the end of 2021, also had to turn to the courts to obtain her end-of-contract documents, without which she remained without income.
Another black point raised by the union representatives interviewed: schedules that change regularly, sometimes at the last moment.
Management denies this: “employees are aware of their attendance schedule four weeks in advance”, she says, ensuring that “in the event of unexpected absences”, it is “offered to the team present , solely on a voluntary basis, to ensure his replacement”.
17,000 employees in France
The 17,000 employees of Action (in France) do not all complain regarding their working conditions: some even consider themselves better off than with other players in the distribution, in particular food.
“Employees are often young people who are starting out or people who have little knowledge of the labor code”, estimates Mélanie Basty-Ghuysen, employee at Davézieux in Nord-Ardèche and CGT representative on the central works council (CSE). They sometimes don’t have so many alternatives, say their union representatives.
The management relies on an internal measure of “work satisfaction” to affirm that it has not been reported “to date of any critical situations or highlighted a possible climate of fear”. It also claims to have set up a 13th month and paid in November 2022 a value-sharing bonus for all employees.
In fact, Action’s sales and profits are soaring, particularly in France, the group’s largest market. Relying on a minimalist model – in decoration, DIY, multimedia or sport – Action is regularly ranked among the favorite brands of the French.
Group CEO Hajir Hajji started at the very bottom of the chain. On a recent visit to Paris, she explained that she had made her career there thanks to “the possibility of personal development, the good working environment, the career opportunities”, while acknowledging that it was “difficult work, but with fun sides and a team spirit”.
