France: Migrant workers on strike over alleged bad working conditions
"French company 'treats us like slaves', say striking migrant workers" 20 August 2019
Since June 11, around 40 undocumented migrant workers, hired to work for the courier delivery firm Chronopost, have been on strike outside the company’s facility in Alfortville, in the Paris suburbs. They say their working conditions are unacceptable and that the French company is taking advantage of their status to, in the words of one worker, “treat us like slaves”.
On an industrial estate just a few miles from the French capital, a row of tents and union flags lining the road indicate the picket line. This is the makeshift camp set up outside the Chronopost warehouse where the undocumented migrants once worked as part-time temporary staff...
They describe intolerable working conditions at the company for these migrant staff, a subsidiary of the Frenchpost office, including working longer hours, unpaid overtime and the risk of being fired if they are sick and unable to work...
Chronopost, however, deny all responsibility. They claim this problem lies at the door of the employment agency who recruited the staff.