France's explosive industrial disputes
This week, workers facing redundancy in three companies in France – New Fabris, Nortel and JLG – threatened to blow up their factories in a bid to obtain better severance conditions. As the left-wing daily Libération reports, this latest tactic appears to have replaced "the confinement of company directors, which has had its day." The vogue for bomb threats reflects "increasing tension" on the issue of lay-offs, which has led workers to make use of what Libération terms the "gas-cylinder strategy" to attract media attention and bypass their managers in a direct appeal to government. For Guy Groux, a sociologist specializing in industrial relations, the tactic highlights "a crisis in the trade-union movement" whose leaders "are no longer able […] to effectively represent workers." With regard to the impact of gas cylinders on factory roofs, Guy Groux notes that "the confinement of directors actually took place, but threatening to blow up the plant is always an idle threat." It may prove to be effective for a limited period, but ultimately "it will not be taken seriously."
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