© Indigital
LANVIN's staff revolt following the removal of Alber Elbaz as creative director has escalated this week, as staff representatives met with a labour inspector to report that the company's human resources department had "declined to hold a meeting to discuss a list of questions put forward by employees," WWD reports.Charles Henry Paradis, a member of the works council who represents employees on the company board, said that employees wanted to address the "high level of employee turnover" among other issues.
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"We have reached a point of no return in terms of labour relations," Paradis said."General management is trying to play for time by using delaying tactics to try to choke us financially.There is a breakdown in relations between staff representatives and management that is unheard of."
August 2011© Mario Testino
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But the brand - controlled by Taiwan-based majority owner Shaw-Lan Wang, who made the decision to end Elbaz's tenure - seemed nonplussed by the vocal dissenters.
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"It's much ado about nothing,"a spokeswoman for Lanvin told WWD."The situation as it appears to be described by one person does not correspond with reality.Lanvin has been in existence for 125 years.It must go on.We are not going to close the house because our creative director is gone.The teams are hard at work.They continue to work, even if it is an emotional time."
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