Article published on the 2009-07-31 Latest update 2009-07-31 17:56 TU
Guy Eyermann, French CGT labour union representative of collapsed French car parts maker New Fabris, speaks to the media early in the dispute
(Photo: Reuters)
A vote by the workers was 204 in favour of taking the offer and 162 against. The gas bottles that workers had displayed in June had actually been actually empty.
In other economic news:
Domestic holidaymaking is down in France. A TNS-Sofres survey says the number of French people paying for holiday accomodation has dropped by seven per cent this year, for the month of July.
But the same study suggests that the figures could turn around in August and increase by up to four per cent. This would leave the season as a whole equalling last year's 207 million overnight stays by French people. The French government that the number of domestic tourists would be up by more than one per cent this season.
Estimates that put the drop in foreign visitors at around 20 per cent will also have to be revised, up to as much as 30 per cent, the study said.
France's Junior Minister for Tourism, Hervé Novelli, said Friday that last-minute reservations could attenuate the damage to France's tourism season.
He also said that French holidaymakers staying in France could help to make up for much of the drop in foreign business.
* Air France-KLM results are down . It published quarterly results that fell below forecasts, and its share price dropped on Friday morning.
* French oil company Total has also put its second-quarter net profit down, by 54 per cent, compared to the same period last year.
* Tyre-manufacturer Michelin's first-half sales were down from 13.4 billion euros to 7.13 billion euros, resulting in a net loss of 122 million euros for the period.