To the Press

The Unions of ELF EP CFDT-CFTC-CGC-CGT-FO

The door closes as soon as open.

After a four-weeks conflict, four meetings with A. Thebault, three letters to J.L. Vermeulen to obtain a meeting, we at last met him on May 6 at the ELF Tower in Paris.

The Management only proposed a temporary suspension of the legal procedure until June, 2^nd, against a full stop of the strike.

The strikers in assemblies at Pau and Paris rejected nearly unanimously the proposal as meaning a canceling of the strike without any firm or precise obligation from the Management.

On May, 10, the Unions wrote to J.L. Vermeulen suggesting a new meeting designed to build new proposal from one side or the other.

Today, while the 31^st day of strike and occupation is now over, J.L. Vermeulen states that the Unions " choose to reject the way of the discussion ", hence declining our proposal.

In this way, he tries and make the Unions responsible of breaking the discussion, and shows the pretended opening to be only a trick.

At the same time, J.L. Vermeulen opens the legal procedure by his convocation of the legal instance CCE on June, 2^nd.

The Management actually holds a full responsibility in turning down the discussions and trying to force the path.

The Unions on their side maintain their will to discuss and negotiate an issue to the conflict.