Orange Considers Relocation of Marseille Campus Amid Rising Security Concerns
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Marseille faces a critical juncture as telecom giant Orange explores moving a significant portion of its 1,200 employees from the Massalia Campus due to escalating violence and drug-related activity in the surrounding neighborhood.
The future of Orange’s presence in the Saint-Maura district of Marseille hangs in the balance, with the company actively seeking alternative locations. The decision follows a series of security incidents, including a 15-day closure in November after clashes between dealers led to employee confinement, and a more recent incident in January involving gunfire directed at the campus building. These events have prompted management to prioritize employee safety by shifting many to remote work or other company sites.
A Neighborhood Under Pressure
The Massalia Campus is situated near the Félix Pyat city, an area known for its entrenched drug trade. Residents express a sense of resignation, with one local, Mehdi, stating the sentiment shared by many: “If they leave, the dealers have won!” The Saint-Maura district itself is grappling with significant socioeconomic challenges, identified as the most impoverished area in mainland France, where over half the population lives below the poverty line.
The disconnect between Orange employees and the local community has been stark. According to reports, executives largely patronized businesses outside the immediate area, such as the Terrasses du Port shopping center, two metro stops away. “I didn’t even realize that they had closed,” remarked Ahmed, owner of a nearby produce store, highlighting the limited integration between the company and the neighborhood it occupies.
Limited Economic Impact
The potential departure of Orange employees is unlikely to significantly impact most local businesses, according to several shop owners. Samy, who runs the O’Central bar, believes the clientele is largely transient or local, stating, “We have people from the neighborhood or passing through… It’s not the same clientele at all.”
However, some businesses that catered to Orange staff, such as Nasser’s bakery, anticipate a minor loss of revenue. “We sometimes had interns and subcontractors who came to get a pizza or a sandwich. We risk losing that,” Nasser noted, while acknowledging that the majority of his customers remain neighborhood residents.
Union Calls for Community Investment
The CFE-CGC union is advocating for a proactive approach to mitigate the negative consequences of a potential relocation. They propose that, once security is restored, the Massalia Campus site be repurposed to house call centers and customer service operations, specifically employing residents from the surrounding neighborhood. This initiative aims to provide economic opportunities and foster a stronger connection between the company and the community it serves.
On January 15, management announced the provision of 300 coworking places in different locations throughout Marseille as a temporary solution. However, a firm date for the resumption of in-office work at the Massalia Campus remains contingent on the progress of the ongoing investigation into the security breaches.
The situation underscores the complex challenges facing businesses operating in areas grappling with social and economic hardship, and the critical need for collaborative solutions that prioritize both employee safety and community development.
