In Saint-Gaudens, the closure of Fiber Excellence raises fears of an economic shock

This text corresponds to part of the transcription of the report above. Click on the video to watch it in full. In the town of Saint-Gaudens (Haute-Garonne), they are part of the landscape: the chimneys of the paper factory, which can even be seen from the terrace of Valérie Matre's restaurant, who confides: "Every morning, it was smoking when we arrived, and there, it no longer smokes, everything is extinguished at night.

It's something to see that it's stopped. “For residents, Fiber Excellence is part of the identity of the town. So, seeing the factory shut down is heartbreaking.

"When we talk about Saint-Gaudens, we talk about both the Pyrenees, in the foothills, and at the same time, we talk about cellulose. But I think that if the company closes, what will become of it? It's a town, there's nothing left," says a local resident.

Because the future of Fiber Excellence is up in the air. This Tuesday, November 3, due to a lack of buyers, the Toulouse commercial court requested a complete cessation of the factory's activities, confirming the company's request for judicial liquidation. Maître Christophe Clerc, lawyer for the CSE of Fiber Excellence, explains: “It had become absolutely inevitable.

Moreover, the employees said it, we did not oppose the hearing, we recognized the need to do this because there is no more activity, there is no more money in the coffers. “Nearly 300 employees are affected. Many still hold out hope of an offer from a Portuguese industrialist to revive the company.

Nicolas Bruel, CGT delegate from Fiber Excellence, specifies: "We are obviously disappointed, sad about the situation, about the cessation of activity. Afterwards, we are still positive because there is a project that is being set up. We have to wait until this project can see the light of day, until there is an offer that is really submitted.

“Consequences feared for the local economyIn the meantime, employees could benefit from professional security contracts to maintain their salaries. But in Saint-Gaudens, traders fear the consequences on the economic activity of the town. “As a trader, I think it will be a real blow to the economy.

It's a shock," says Madeleine Biand, trader. "The city will die if there is no longer Fiber Excellence," adds another. The final fate of the company will be known on November 12.

Machine-translated from French