The CGT accuses him of fleeing, Luca de Meo denies it

The announced departure of Luca de Meo from the head of Renault revives tensions between the group’s management and the unions.

While Luca de Meo claims a personal choice and assures that he is leaving a solid company, the CGT condemns a “headlong rush” at a time when the initial effects of his strategy are being felt. This new episode illustrates, once again, the persistent divide between governance focused on financial performance and employee representatives who are concerned about the industrial and social future of the manufacturer. The CGT demands guarantees on employment, French production, and industrial transparency, addressing management: “It is not the employees’ responsibility to pay for the missteps of a management that is fleeing at the time of the accounts.”

In fact, Luca de Meo has indeed decided to leave Renault. The car manufacturer officially announced the departure of its CEO on Sunday for mid-July. He will take the helm of the luxury group Kering, leaving behind a company in the midst of transformation. In a message addressed to employees, he defends himself: “This is a personal decision and I am not fleeing,” he writes, stating that Renault is “well positioned for the next chapter.”

A narrative that does not convince everyone. For the CGT Renault, this departure sounds like “a headlong rush at the worst time.” The union denounces an abandonment amid the realization of the “Renaulution” strategy, a transformation project that has deeply reshaped the group, particularly through the split between thermal activities (Horse subsidiary) and electric ones (Ampere).

The cliché of the villain boss?

In a virulent statement, the CGT criticizes industrial choices with heavy consequences: risk of relocations to Spain and China, decline of French production, and weakening of the electric sector. “The promise of a renewal based on electric ‘made in France’ seems to be eroding already,” writes the union. French engineering is also under scrutiny: major projects like the future electric Twingo are now being developed outside of France.

Luca de Meo, who arrived in 2020 when Renault was facing historic losses, had nevertheless turned around the accounts and revitalized the group’s image with models like the R5. The unions that seem to regret his departure today have not ceased to criticize his methods throughout his governance. Or how to idolize someone you wanted to burn, but consistency has never been a strong marker of the social struggle, it must be admitted. Nonetheless, his departure comes at a time when the strategy must yield its first concrete results, which raises questions even within the board of directors.

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