France - labour disputes

Workers trash offices, others end bossnapping

Article published on the 2009-04-22 Latest update 2009-04-22 13:06 TU

An employee of Continental tyre factory looks at the guard post which was attacked by workers in Clairoix. his T-shirt reads "Continental bosses - thugs!"
(Photo: Reuters)

Workers at a factory owned by German tyre-maker Continental went on the rampage and smashed uplocal government offices on Tuesday after a legal attempt to save their jobs failed. In the south-west, employees of US-owned Molex freed two bosses they had been holding capitve in an attempt to keep their factory open.

Prime Minister François Fillon declared damage to property during industrial disputes is "not acceptable" on France Inter radio Wednesday after a group of workers at Continental in Moselle, eastern France, smashed up local government buildings in an explosion of anger.

The violence occured when workers heard of the failure of a legal challenge to the employers' plans to close the factory, which employs 1,120 people. Industry Secretary Luc Chatel has prepared three-way negotiations between employees, management and the government.

Workers at a factory near Toulouse in the south-west on Tuesday freed two managers whom they had locked in their offices for more than 24 hours, as both sides went to regional government offices to negotiate.

US-owned Molex has announced the closure of the electronics component factory, which employs 283 workers.

Union representatives held talks with local authorities to try and find a compromise but the two bosses, manager Marcus Kerriou and human resourdes directory Coline Colboc, refused to negotiate while being held captive.

The company launched legal acton against the works committee secretary over the incident, the latest in a series of bossnappings.

"We were told that we sere committing an offence," saud union official Denis Parise. "But what is worse than putting 300 workers on the streets?"

in his radio interview, Fillon said that a militant minority of workers was making it impossible for union to play a mediating role, noting that top bosses bonuses and other payments sometimes stir up violent reactions.

 

On France 24 TV  Fillon condemns Continental protest