French President Francois Hollande’s decision to suspend the delivery of a Russian-ordered warship over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine conflict has been roundly praised by France’s allies.
But the workers in the Atlantic port of Saint-Nazaire who built the 22,000-tonne Vladivostok, and have already begun work on a sister ship, the Sevastopol, are up in arms.
For months Hollande had resisted pressure from the US, Britain and other partners to cancel the 1.2-billion-euro (1.6-billion-dollar) deal for two 22,000-tonne Mistral-class helicopter carriers that would significantly boost Moscow’s firepower.
Hollande had insisted that France had to respect the contract that was signed by his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy in 2011, or risk being sued by Russia for an advance payment of around 1 billion euros.
Faced with a deep economic crisis, the government appeared more concerned with protecting French jobs than remaining in Washington’s good books.
It came as a surprise, therefore, when Hollande announced Wednesday that “despite the prospect of a ceasefire (in Ukraine) … the conditions for France to authorize the delivery of the first [warship] have not yet been satisfied.”
Workers in Saint-Nazaire reacted with dismay to the about-turn, which came on the eve of a NATO summit that is discussing Russia’s alleged incursion into eastern Ukraine.
“If the decision is maintained it could mean quite a few people will be temporarily laid off,” Frederic Homez of Force Ouvriere (FO) trade union told dpa. “There’s a lot of concern here.”
Several hundred people at STX shipyard have been working on the Russian contract, which had been welcomed as helping keep the ailing company afloat.
Work on the Vladivostok, which is scheduled for delivery at the end of October, is almost finished but the Sevastopol, which is scheduled for delivery in 2015, is only half finished.
Sources at DCNS, the state-owned French defence company that is the main contractor in the deal, told dpa that work on both vessels was continuing Thursday.
“The president said the conditions for delivering the Vladivostok have not yet been satisfied. That means the conditions could evolve,” the sources said.
French media quoted sources in the presidency as saying the delivery of the vessel was suspended until November, at which point the government would make the billion-dollar decision on whether to honour the contract.
Some opposition politicians warned that failure to hand over the Mistral-class warships would dent France’s reputation as an arms exporter.
“To not deliver the Mistral would be suicidal for the credibility and reliability of the French arms industry,” Thierry Mariani of the conservative UMP party tweeted, in sentiments echoed by the far-right National Front and Communist-backed Left Front.
STX workers said they were worried about the knock-on effect of the state being left trying to find a home for two warships.
“The way this is resolved will have an impact on the financial performance of STX and its future,” Christophe Morel of the CFDT trade union told France Info radio.
GNA
