Workers protest as last car comes off line at closing Citroen plant
by The Associated Press
Closure of plant near Paris part of cost-cutting as PSA Peugeot Citroen looks to right financial ship
AULNAY-SOUS-BOIS, France—PSA Peugeot Citroen workers marched and waved banners to protest the closure of a historic Citroen plant as the factory’s last car came off the assembly line.
Opened in 1973, the Aulnay-sous-Bois plant is being shut down next year as the money-losing car maker seeks to cut costs, part of the conditions of a $791-million lifeline it received from the government.
The last car, a light grey Citroen C3, is the last of over 8.5 million cars built in the history of the factory just outside Paris.
About 1,000 workers remain at the factory but they have virtually stopped working.
Goul Abdul, a union member who’s worked in Aulnay for 24 years, said “it really hurts. I want to cry sometimes.”
