Racketeered and then dismissed, 7 undocumented Carrefour employees win their case after the CGT mobilization

It's what you might call a lightning victory. Seven undocumented workers employed at a Carrefour store in Villeneuve-la-Garenne (Hauts-de-Seine), who had reported being extorted and had just been fired, saw their fate taken into account by the management of the major retail chain a few hours after their first protest outside the supermarket.

"In less than 24 hours, the mobilization bore fruit: Carrefour committed to delivering as quickly as possible the promises of employment and the CERFA forms necessary for the regularization and hiring of the 7 undocumented workers who were unfairly dismissed," rejoiced the CGT Local Union (UL) of Gennevilliers and Villeneuve-la-Garenne, in a press release published on Thursday, May 22.

These seven workers had been approached by an "intermediary" in early 2025 who promised them permanent positions in this supermarket as well as regularization. "In reality, they are asked to bring a false identity card to sign a 6-month fixed-term contract," the union denounced on Wednesday, May 20. Several months of hard work followed in handling positions, punctuated by financial blackmail and threats of denunciation in the event of refusal to pay.

In May, following an inspection by the labor inspectorate, these seven workers decided to alert their management. " The result? The dismissal of managers up to the highest level of management... but also the dismissal of victims who dared to denounce the illegality," laments the local CGT union.

Arguing that it was legally obliged to dismiss them due to their lack of identity papers, but that these dismissals were compensated by the equivalent of three months' salary and accompanied by a promise of re-employment once the documents were obtained, the group's management improved its proposal on Thursday, May 22, with promises of hiring accompanied by the issuance of the administrative papers necessary for regularization.

Between these two positions, a demonstration had been organized in front of the store the day before, with the support of Carrefour employees and elected officials. "This victory highlights the strength of union solidarity," emphasizes the CGT of Gennevilliers and Villeneuve-la-Garenne, which will celebrate this success on June 6 at the Gennevilliers Labor Exchange.