Hundreds of French workers from German-owned Continental yesterday (18 May) burned tyres in front of Paris’ old stock market as they attempted to increase pressure on the government ahead of talks today about the planned closure of their plant in Clairoix, northern France.
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Workers have staged several protests since Conti said last March it would close plants in Clairoix and Hanover, Germany, employing 1,900 people, because of the global auto sector crisis, Reuters noted.
Continental’s management and union have found a compromise for the Hanover plant – more staff would work shorter hours, though the decision would be revisited next year, several people familiar with the matter told the news agency. That was confirmed by the company and labour later on Tuesday.
“The bourse is the symbol of the global crisis. It’s where people have for years speculated with the sweat of workers, and this is the result,” Xavier Mathieu, a representative from the CGT union, told Reuters on Monday. “They gambled, they lost, there’s a crisis, but we won’t pay for them.”
Billowing clouds of black smoke rose over the roofs of Paris as workers vented their anger by setting tyre fires. They were joined by workers from a factory that produces seats for PSA/Peugeot-Citroen, which is also threatened by closure.
Management and unions met in Frankfurt on Tuesday to negotiate the closure, scheduled for 2010.
Unions have tried to challenge the decision in court, arguing management had failed to consult with employees as required by French law, but the suit was rejected, the report said.
Continental workers have previously stormed a company office and a government building, smashing windows, computers and furniture.
Worker protests against layoffs have become increasingly radical in France over the past three months, with several ‘bossnapping’ incidents in which employees locked up managers in offices or factories, Reuters noted.
