Plans for a workers’ cooperative to takeover the running of the cross-channel ferry company SeaFrance, which is facing bankruptcy, have been scrapped after a meeting on Thursday between the dominant trade union at SeaFrance and government ministers.
Reportedly, not enough employees were committed to investing their lay-off cash in the cooperative as some were close to retirement age.
Right-wing President Nicolas Sarkozy had on Monday made a surprise U-turn and decided to back the bid, in a bid to score political points ahead of the April presidential election, say critics.
SeaFrance, which runs ferries between Calais and Dover, directly employs 880 people in France’s hard-hit northwest and at least as many jobs again indirectly.
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