Ashley Wenskoski, Senior
Tensions have been rising at the world’s largest Nutella factory at Villers-Ecalles in Normandy, France. The French workers have created a showdown over salary negotiations, bringing the factory to a near standstill. Activists from the Workers’ Force Union have been barring trucks from entering or leaving the factory for a week. The standoff has been going on for six days, and Italian company Ferrero (which owns Nutella), has started to threaten fines for workers involved in the blockade, according to a company statement. The blockade has nearly halted production, though it is unclear as to how soon that will cause shortages in the global market. 160 of the factory’s 350 workers are taking part in a walkout to demand 4.5% salary increases, one-time bonuses, and better working conditions.
This factory is critical to the production and distribution of Nutella internationally, as it produces 600,000 jars of the chocolate hazelnut spread every single day (a quarter of the world’s total output). The next negotiation meeting for the salaries is scheduled for June 13th, but the practice of going on strike is not uncommon in France. Workers frequently go on strike, with the last strike at the Villers-Ecalles factory only in 2011. The political action comes as many low-income French workers have taken pro-business policies by President Emmanuel Macron as favoring the rich.
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