PITHIVIERS (France), March 26: French workers on Thursday released the manager of a factory after holding him for more than 24 hours. The factory is run by the US firm 3M.

Manager Luc Rousselet was allowed to leave the plant in Pithiviers, central France, shortly after midnight following several hours of negotiations between union leaders and officials from 3M France, brokered by local politicians.

“We have an agreement with 3M that they will provide the means to respond to our demands,” said union representative Jean-Francois Caparros.

“The negotiations will resume and that’s a very good thing,” said Mr Rousselet as he emerged from a management office where he had taken refuge on Tuesday afternoon.

“I am very happy for the employees of the Pithiviers factory. I know that this was a very difficult lay-off plan for them,” he said as workers shouted “Scoundrel boss!”.

The factory, which produces pharmaceutical products, employs 235 people but 110 of these jobs are to be shed this year due to declining orders and another 40 are to be shifted to another plant.

Mr Rousselet had turned up at the plant on Tuesday to outline the compensation package for the 110 laid-off workers, but retreated to an office after he apparently felt threatened.

Maryse Bulte, 44, one of the employees, said: “Initially we didn’t want to hold him. We just sought talks and concrete results.”

“It was despair and distress which made us do this,” added Cyril Foufelle, 36.

It was the second time this month that an executive had been held by French workers outraged at learning that their jobs were being slashed.

The boss of Sony France was held overnight on March 12 before workers freed him after he agreed to reopen talks on their pay-off when the factory closed.

Last week angry tyre factory workers burst into a management meeting and pelted their bosses with eggs to protest the closure of their plant.—AFP
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