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With the arrest of Carlos Ghosn, the tycoon's management style sparked deep frustrations within Nissan, with some staffers also tired of playing second-to-life with Renault and its supporters in the French state.
The rumors within Nissan have increased in intensity since the beginning of the year, according to analysts, while the 64-year-old Frenchman born in Brazil seemed to be moving towards a complete merger with Renault. would be unpopular in Japanese.
Renault is the main player in the alliance, with 43% of Nissan's capital, but the Japanese company is now generating more turnover, only intensifying the balance of power between them.
A former employee working for Nissan for 10 years told AFP, on condition of anonymity: "Internally, we felt the tensions, even if they did not appear on the outside. . "
Some Nissan employees have more and more the impression that their hard-earned profits have been used to support their French big brother.
For example, there was some resentment when the construction of the Nissan Micra was ordered in a Renault factory on the outskirts of Paris or when the Nissan Rogue crossover for the US market was built by a subsidiary of South Korean Renault .
"Gathering the services is a wonderful thing, but in practice it's not that easy.The Renault and Nissan people have started saying that the integration that Ghosn was directing us to would not work," he said. 'former employee.
Another staff member, speaking to the public broadcaster NHK, was even more direct.
"I do not feel any merit in working with Renault, and I think many Nissan employees feel that they do not want to work with Renault," he said.
– Massive Tellings-off & # 39; –
Mr. Ghosn also drew the attention of some Japanese to what was perceived as a lavish lifestyle and a cheeky management style that went against the Japanese corporate culture.
The staff member cited by NHK complained that Mr. Ghosn prohibited employees from receiving gifts or being vined and dined, and that the former president had instructed them to make a written commitment to this. effect.
Another former employee told AFP that Mr. Ghosn had exerted "unbelievable" pressure on his staff.
"He humiliated people in public all the time with massive offerings in front of everyone, nobody could say anything except the growing resentment."
Ghosn is under arrest and suspected of underestimating his income by about $ 44 million over five years. He denies the allegations and has been able to defend himself publicly because he is languishing in a detention center in Tokyo.
Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa denounced his former mentor at a lively press conference, noting that too much power had been concentrated in the hands of one person.
According to a Nissan insider, Saikawa also reportedly raised governance issues within the three-party alliance, which was the best-selling auto group last year.
"Whatever topic we wanted to discuss with Renault, we still had to go through Ghosn," Saikawa told staff on Monday, according to one of those present.
It's an "uneven" situation that needs to be resolved, Saikawa added.
In many ways, Saikawa's change of attitude towards Ghosn reflects growing discontent within Nissan.
Recognized as one of the "children of Ghosn" – who owed his career to the tycoon – Saikawa began to stand out from his mentor in 2017, believing that Ghosn had left him alone in the face of a scandal. 39, vehicle inspection that broke out this year.
– & # 39; Anger & # 39; at Renault –
The involvement of the French government, which holds 15% stake in Renault, adds to the tension.
"France wants Nissan," headlined the daily Nikkei in July.
The Japanese firm was badly shaken in 2015 when Emmanuel Macron, then Minister of the Economy, increased the participation of Paris in Renault to increase the voting power.
The current French Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, pointed out that there should be no change in the composition of the alliance, which states that Renault appoints the boss.
Koji Endo, an automotive industry analyst at SBI Securities, told AFP: "Emotionally, Nissan people seem to be angry at Renault and Ghosn and they will probably argue that the relationship between shareholders must change."
However, it will be "very difficult to move towards a more equitable relationship", due to the influence of the French government, "added the expert.
Nissan should convince Renault and Paris to strengthen the participation of the Japanese company in the alliance, he added.
"I understand that Nissan wants to do that, but in reality, I do not think it can be done in a short time," he told AFP.
The official line is that the arrest of Ghosn should not have any impact on day-to-day operations, whether at Nissan or within the Alliance.
But another automotive expert, Takaki Nakanishi, said the situation in the alliance was "serious".
"Trust to work together has completely disappeared," said Nakanishi.
© 2018 AFP
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