Medef 31 denounces a “unilateral decision”
Less than two years from the implementation of the Low Emission Zone in Toulouse (ZFE), the Medef of Haute-Garonne is stepping up to the plate. Alongside the Confederation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises 31 (CPME), the employers’ union warns of the consequences of this system for companies in metropolitan France and denounces, in particular, a lack of communication around the ZFE.
Consultation with the main users within the Toulouse ring road was virtually non-existent. There are people who don’t even know what the EPZ is. On the impression of a very national and unilateral decision”, regrets Pierre-Olivier Nau, president of Medef 31, questioned by L’Opinion Indépendante.
“Concern Rises”
According to him, the measure as it is constituted for the moment, “does not take into account the fact that many companies inside the ring road have employees who do not have the cars to come to work” . And to take a concrete example, that of Fresh Yeo, an ultra-fresh dairy company located on Avenue des Etats-Unis, north of the city. With the establishment of the ZFE in Toulouse, two thirds of the company’s employees would be unable to come to work according to its managers. And it would not be an isolated case according to Medef 31.
There are many boxes that could no longer work overnight. The concern is rising enormously”, warns Pierre-Olivier Nau.
The fear of the return of the yellow vests
For him, some of these difficulties are partly due to the lack of clarity on the subject. “The financing capacities offered, the delivery times for orders of Crit’air 1 or 2 cars, the conditions for being entitled to a subsidy, the boundaries of the area… Nothing is clear”, regrets the business manager . However, the employers’ union ensures that it is not opposed to this device, but calls for adaptations.
We are all absolutely aware of the climate emergency. We need the city to become sustainable, but together. Merchants will be able to adapt, employees too, but we want this to be done in consultation, contrasting the constraints of each other, especially employees who are already suffering the brunt of the drop in purchasing power at the moment. “, specifies Pierre-Olivier Nau.
In concrete terms, the president of Medef 31 is asking for “additional time” for the establishment of the ZFE, and not just for the start of the sanctions, as the deputies have already announced. He also mentions other tracks, such as “half Crit’air”, sorts of intermediaries between Crit’air 2 and 3 for example. Finally, the union insists on the important need for communication with the actors concerned, and this at the regional and not national level. Otherwise, Pierre-Olivier Nau fears a possible social crisis. “If we don’t do it, it will scream and in six months the yellow vests will retreat.”
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