REPORT: French workers vote against blowing up plant as long as their demands are met

Workers at French car parts maker New Fabris (its main clients include Renault and Peugeot-Citroen) have voted down immediate plans to explosively send the roof of their plant into the troposphere, as long as talks with aides to Industry Minister Christian Estrosi are in the works. It seems that the workers, part of the CGT union, are demanding higher redundancy payouts as nearly 370 of them have lost their jobs following the collapse of the automotive sector.

Gas canisters had been placed around the factory to facilitate the pending pyrotechnics, but they have since been moved. Christian Paupineau, a delegate of the CGT union, told Reuters that the talks must be forthcoming. "There has to be significant progress. The canisters are being stored and kept under surveillance and they can be re-installed at any time," he added.

The threats to blow up factories is a relatively new tactic for French workers – employees used to vent frustration by taking their managers hostage (aka "bossnappings") until their demands were met. Union representatives are due to meet with the factory workers on Thursday... assuming nobody blows their lid in the meantime.

[Source: Reuters | Image: Alain Jocard/Getty]

Share This Photo X