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French workers paid 30,000 Euros not to blow up factory

alice | 17.07.2009 22:59 | Workers' Movements | Birmingham | Liverpool

The company JLG in Tonneins, in the Lot-et-Garonne fell into the hands of 53 workers who have been given the sack. They demanded 30,000 euros each to leave otherwise they would blow up the factory. Within 48 hours they got what they wanted

The 366 workers of New Fabris, providing automobile parts for Peugeot and Renault, will go but only if they're given 30,000 euros each. Otherwise, they'll blow up the factory on 31 July. Guy Eyermann, the trade union representative, is quite clear. "We're not going to wait until Peugeot and Renault get the stock back in August. If we don't get what we want, they won't get what they want." In the meantime, the workers are occupying the factory.

The idea seems to have caught the attention of other workers in the same situation. Nortel's personnel in Châteaufort near Paris have also placed gas canisters all around their factory and threatened to blow it up. They ask for better redundancy conditions. Today, it's the company JLG in Tonneins, in the Lot-et-Garonne, which has fallen into the hands of 53 of its workers who have been given the sack and demand 30,000 euros each to leave. They're threatening to blow up their tools and the factory's expensive equipment.

However, not all intend to go all the way – perhaps none do. Nortel's personnel said they had no intention to blow up the place, they just wanted to attract the media: "We have been on strike for two weeks now and before our talk of blowing up the place, nobody spoke about our fight," says Antoine Blanchet, a Nortel employee. Their threat paid off and within 48 hours they got what they wanted: a reopening of negotiations with the administrators, and a visit from the industry minister. They have now lifted their threat and removed the gas canisters.
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/17/france-workers-redundancy-bossnap

alice


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