Auchan job cuts: Conseil d’État validates plan to eliminate 2,389 positions

The French Conseil d’État has validated the job protection plan (PSE) for Auchan Retail France, allowing the retailer to proceed with the elimination of 2,389 positions. This ruling overturns previous decisions by the Lille administrative tribunal and the Douai administrative court of appeal that had invalidated the restructuring plan.

Legal challenges had centered on whether the agreement should have been signed at the individual company level rather than the group level, and whether the economic information provided to social and economic committees (CSE) was sufficient. The Conseil d’État ruled that under the labor code, agreements can be concluded at the group level and noted that the court of appeal erred by requiring data from holding companies outside the retail sector.

While Auchan has welcomed the decision as a confirmation of its procedure, labor unions including the CGT and FO have expressed anger. The company stated that many affected employees have already been offered solutions such as redeployment, early retirement, or retraining.