From the Financial Times.
Workers at a failed French car parts supplier are threatening to blow up their factory unless the company’s two biggest clients – Renault and PSA Peugeot Citroen – stump up extra compensation.
Employees of the engine parts maker New Fabris have rigged up a series of gas canisters inside a factory workshop which they say will be detonated on July 31 if the two carmakers fail to pay €30,000 to each of the 366 workers facing unemployment.
The company, which went into receivership for the second time in two years last month, holds an estimated €2m of stock ordered by the two carmakers, as well as a machine belonging to Renault valued at about €2m.
The threat could [emphasis added] still be an empty one as government officials said there appeared to be some doubt as to whether the gas canisters were full. Nonetheless, the government is taking the threat seriously, fearful that the lastest hold up marks a significant increase in labour tensions that have been present for several months. The fire brigade has been put on stand-by and emergency service reinforcements sent to the area near the factory in Châtellerault in western France, according to a news agency report.
Earlier this year France was hit by a wave of boss-nappings, where workers held factory managers hostage, sometimes for several days, to force better redundancy payoffs or protest at factory closures. Most ended without violent incident. ...
Guy Eyermann, member of the hardline CGT union that appears to be leading the protest, insisted that the battle would not be abandoned. “Are we capable of blowing up the factory? Yes we are,” he told a gathering of about 100 workers yesterday.
Why would anyone invest in a plant in France, or at least in a plant that does not serve the French market?
July 14th...did you intentionally timed this post to coincide with the French national holiday?
Posted by: CanadianLoonie | July 15, 2009 at 05:09 AM
Good point C.loonie. I would never discount our host's nefarious plots.
"lastest hold up"
perhaps "latest" could also work.
"have rigged up a series of gas canisters"
Anarcho-syndicalism at its finest.
It's so good to see ancient political traditions are still alive.
Brought back a surge of joyful memories from my sordid youth.
"some doubt as to whether the gas canisters were full"
I believe the symbolism is what is most important here, it's the thought that counts.
Kind of like Ford Prefect's premise to the demolition crew to "take it as given" that Arthur Dent remains lying athwart the bulldozer's path, while he takes Arthur off for a pint and some peanuts.
Posted by: psychodave | July 15, 2009 at 08:26 AM
didnt godard do a film on this, called tout va bien?!
Posted by: jojo | July 15, 2009 at 02:46 PM
If the gas cannisters are not full then the threat is only half empty.
Important why? There are lives at stake here.
http://news.yahoo.com/comics/090715/cx_herman_umedia/20091507;_ylt=AtAP1O9LMfgkZLI5cT4vrB4F_b4F
Posted by: RunningAmokInFantasyland | July 17, 2009 at 09:20 AM
Check out the Anti Nike video
http://www.ibuylogos.com/store/2009/10/anti-nike-campaign/
Posted by: Ibuy Logos | November 27, 2009 at 01:16 AM