Pave: Results-based Injustice

Le jour 284 de Sarko

There is a history in France of violent and difficult labor conflicts and this continues today.

Dominique Barbet,
economist at BNP Paribas SA
(infra)

In France if things are not to your liking, if things do not break your way, well, take a hostage or hostages, ideally someone vaguely responsible for your plight. If no responsible person is available, the government, the police, the media, everyone will understand that you must make do.

MICHELIN ANNOUNCES 35-PERCENT PROFIT RISE,
WORKERS HOLD TWO MANAGERS

PARIS February 15, 2008 (AFP) - French tyre-maker Michelin reported on Friday a 35.3 percent surge in 2007 net profit as workers at a company factory in eastern France [Toul] scheduled to be shut down next year were holding two managers at the site.

There is a certain comic genius in AFP's conjoining these two stories. A company works itself into profitability, thereby maintaining its ability to make payroll, but unlucky attrited workers take management hostage on the theory that a slowly failing company is good enough, is preferrable to a company that can continue to offer any jobs at all. Or something like that. The attrited in such cases believe their personal fortunes trump the fortunes of the enterprise, which also include the personal fortunes of the attrited's former co-workers.

Imposing one's personal misfortunes on a more fortunate neighbor is known as solidarité in France. It is a principle sometimes on, sometimes off.

MICHELIN WORKERS HOLD EXECUTIVES,
HIGHLIGHTING LOSS OF JOBS

February 15, 2008 (Bloomberg) - The executives held at the tire factory in Toul include the social-relations director and the local head of personnel, spokeswoman Francoise Rault said by telephone today.

"We're trying to get out of this situation through dialogue," Rault said, adding that the company didn't plan to call in law enforcement.

Yes. Taking hostages, even in France, even by union members, is illegal.

FRANCE SENDS MEDIATOR TO MICHELIN PLANT DISPUTE

STRASBOURG February 16, 2008 (Reuters) - A French state mediator held talks with unions on Saturday to ease tensions at a Michelin plant where staff have locked two managers in an office in protest at the site's closure.

... Union representatives said they spoke to the government mediator, a local official in charge of employment, for more than an hour on Saturday but there was no breakthrough.

"It was a first contact to discuss our demands and the conditions on which we will resume negotiations," CGT union representative Pierre Kovalski said.

Michelin seemed to be demanding that its two managers be released as a precondition for talks, he said.

Nothing gets by the perspicacious French union rep.

"Christine Lagarde [or this] is following the evolution at the Kleber factory in Toul extremely closely," Lagarde's office said in a statement earlier on Saturday, in which it said Lagarde had suggested that the mediator step in.

"She has asked her staff to put everything in place to restore social dialogue," it said.

Dialogue, not recourse to law. There'll be no extending the protections of law to the hostages. No, gentle skimmer, no, justice is best prosecuted by a nice sit-down, a little chat, dialogue.

MICHELIN: LES DEUX CADRES DE L'USINE KLÉBER RELÂCHÉS
MICHELIN: TWO KLÉBER FACTORY EXECUTIVES RELEASED
February 17, 2008 (Figaro)

There you go. A little chat -- and overlooking the criminal act of kidnapping -- everything's right as rain in Toul. Another great success in the workers' socialist paradise.

PFFT (What is this?): Results-based injustice 4½ | Rayonnement français 0

Posted by Damian at February 23, 2008 08:00 AM