Hegelmann’s French subsidiary, part of the European logistics behemoth headquartered in Germany, was defeated in a labor tribunal case in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. The court ruled in favor of nine drivers, compelling the company to pay them their overdue wages. The truck drivers, hailing primarily from Lithuania, Ukraine, and Romania, have been on strike since July 16, 2024, demanding three months’ worth of unpaid salaries. They also reported being forced to live for months in their trucks, deprived of basic rights and sustenance.
All of the drivers are employed by Hegelmann Fleet, a subsidiary of the Hegelmann Group, whose French office (Hegelmann Logistics France) is located in Châtenoy-le-Royal, 130 kilometers north of Lyon. The situation gained public attention when a member of the France Insoumise political party, who happened to pass by the company’s headquarters, noticed the striking drivers and decided to stop and listen to their grievances. A network of activists and humanitarian organizations quickly mobilized to support the drivers, providing food supplies and organizing an online solidarity fundraiser on the French platform Leetchi.com.
The CGT Orano union also weighed in on the issue, stating that the drivers had not received their wages since May, although pay slips were regularly issued. The drivers are currently staying in communal accommodations in Châtenoy. Two emergency legal proceedings have been initiated on their behalf, one with the Industrial Tribunal of Chalon-sur-Saône and another with the Commercial Tribunal of Chalon-sur-Saône, with the intervention of the Ministry of Labor.
One driver from Lithuania received his back pay after a hearing in early August 2024. On August 28, despite Hegelmann’s request for a postponement, the court issued a ruling ordering the employer to pay the three months of overdue wages to the other eight drivers as well. According to the French daily Le Journal de Saône-et-Loire, Hegelmann France now has fifteen days to appeal the decision.
Before the case began, activists distributed leaflets near the courthouse to raise public awareness. The leaflets read, “We demand that workers’ rights be respected so they can live with dignity.” So far, Hegelmann has not issued any statement on the matter, with the drivers’ lawyer describing the company’s silence as deafening.
This is not the first time the transport company has been involved in a dispute over working conditions. In late 2021, another case came to light involving the group’s Polish subsidiary. During a routine police check in Battice, Belgium, it was discovered that a Ukrainian truck driver had been forced to live in his vehicle for seventeen weeks without receiving any salary. He was given sporadic and irregular reimbursements of €45, which, according to the employer, were supposed to cover basic necessities.
Marco Martinelli
