Emmaus initiates proceedings against two communities accused of imposing undignified working conditions

2023-10-05 15:33:37

Proceedings have been initiated against two Emmaüs communities in the North, accused of imposing unworthy working conditions, we learned on Thursday from the movement to fight precariousness founded by the Abbot Rock.

The fate of the Halte Saint-Jean in Saint-André-lez-Lille and that of Grande-Synthe, near Dunkirk, had been pending since the last board meeting on September 14 when the situation within the two branches had been mentioned. During a new board meeting on Tuesday, two decisions were taken against these communities which had “crossed a red line contrary to the values ​​of Emmaüs”, indicated the general delegate of the movement, Tarek Daher.

Towards a suspension or even exclusion from Emmaüs

A “so-called conflict handling procedure” has been initiated, which could lead to the definitive exclusion of the Emmaus movement from the two communities at the next general assembly scheduled for June, he said. In the meantime, another procedure will also be implemented from October 19 and could result in the “provisional suspension” of the membership of these two communities of the movement.

Around twenty workers, all in an irregular situation, have been on strike since the beginning of July in Saint-André-lez-Lille and accuse the local management of exploiting them, without giving them any prospect of integration. An investigation was opened in May for “human trafficking” and “concealed work” and entrusted to the Mobile Zonal Research Brigade (BMRZ) and the Central Office for Combating Illegal Work (OCLTI).

Four communities affected by the strike

Contacted by AFP on Thursday, the CEO of the Relais, Pierre Duponchel, on whom the Halte Saint Jean depends, indicated that there were “inaccurate elements” in the unfolding of the facts presented by Emmaüs France, without wanting to go into detail. facts through the media.

At the end of August, the community of Grande-Synthe also began a strike movement, in which around twenty workers participated, to protest against working conditions. This strike movement was joined in September by two other branches, in Tourcoing and Nieppe, still in the North, to denounce unworthy working conditions and demand regularization.

“These are very different situations,” said Tarek Daher. “There is a magnifying effect on these communities, we must not forget that the movement is 122 communities, 7,000 companions.” “However, we are not burying our heads in the sand: the community model is a complex model, and it is obvious that there are a lot of lessons to be learned from these crises,” he added.