According to a report by France Bleu Gironde, FC Girondins de Bordeaux have implemented an Employment Protection Plan (PSE) which will result in almost 100 employees losing their jobs on the 6th of November.
The French outlet writes that the PSE had become inevitable since the club were relegated from the second tier of French football (Ligue 2) to the fourth tier (National 2) after they were unable to convince the DNCG of their ability to balance their books.
Most of those impacted by the cutbacks which will see 97 employees made redundant next month had been notified of their dismissal this week albeit without any words from the management.
‘Bordeaux have a moral and legal duty’
This decision was not unexpected, even if it was still shocking for a workforce where some had spent their whole lives at the club. The local MP, Marie Récalde, expressed her regret to France Bleu at the impact this will have: “Behind a club like the Girondins de Bordeaux, there are dozens of people, families, real fans who have given years and years. It is a real tragedy with serious human consequences.”
Récalde who was elected to office in the most recent elections continued her point by calling on Bordeaux’s owner Gérard Lopez to properly enact his social responsibilities to these employees losing their jobs, “They have a moral and legal duty, the PSE must be conducted in a fair and transparent manner […] The compensation must be adequate because we are not here just to thank people, but also to give them perspective and help them bounce back after this ordeal.”
