Unions and management have reached an agreement: the Frangey cement plant will continue to operate until a buyer is found, they told the tv channel France 3 Bourgogne (Burgundy).

The twelve employees of the Lafarge plant have prevailed. After their ten-day strike, Lafarge Group’s management agreed to change its decision regarding the plant’s early closure.

The announcement followed a special meeting of the central works committee, held at the company’s head office in St. Cloud, a Parisian suburb.

The twelve employees, accompanied by the municipality’s mayor, were on a hunger strike to protest against the closure of the Frangey cement. Finally, they achieved the plant’s continuation with 40 employees. Of those 40, five are to retire over the coming months. The plant will operate until March 2012, and will then retain its grinding activity while waiting for a possible buyer.