Michelin abrogates retirement deal with French workers

CLERMONT-FERRAND, France (Feb. 20)—Groupe Michelin has suspended an agreement covering the early retirement of 4,900 workers and the recruitment of 2,000 new employees in France during the next five years. The deal, signed last October with unions representing its 26,5000-strong workforce in France, was under a French labor law, called convention de cessation d'activitÃ&Copy; or CCA. Its suspension followed a fresh legal challenge by the CGT trade union to another labor agreement at Michelin, concerning its introduction of a 35-hour week under French labor laws. As both agreements are closely linked, the CCA agreement will remain suspended until there is a definitive court ruling about the 35-hour-week agreement, according to a Michelin statement.