French workers barricade boss in airport office

Workers facing layoffs from Servisair Cargo, a French air freight company, detained a manager overnight at Paris Roissy airport to demand a better severance pay, Reuters reported.

Servisair director Abderrahmane El-Aouffir, who flew in from Britain to negotiate, was barricaded in airport office suite by 60 workers after he refused to meet their demands.

"He's only offering to transfer us to new positions within the group as refuse collectors or EUR1,400 (US$2,000) to leave. It's not enough and we're ready to go all the way," said one worker.

Earlier this year Sony, 3M and Caterpillar workers in France detained managers overnight at their workplaces, while other workers threatened to bomb factories for better layoff terms.

Said French Labour Minister Xavier Darcos: "Threats and ultimatums are not the answer."
 

Source: Transportweekly