The Shock of Closures
The announcement of factory closure often appears to be the climax of the industrial crisis. Therefore, it unfolds gradually over time. The economic collapse has been a recurring media topic since the stock market crash of 1929. It was portrayed as sudden and unexpected, and had a devastating impact on employment. From the oil crisis of 1973, the factory closures have been one of the most widely covered economic topics in the daily press. The latter was often treated with a sensationalist tone. At the height of its influence, television presented these events as swift and unavoidable, like natural disasters or shipwrecks. Yet their consequences are very real for the staff. They often learn of their dismissal only after official press briefing company boards. Such was the case with closure of the HPI production site at Yverdon-les-Bains in September 1989.