They have no sense of humor when you try to mess with the much weakened 35 hour work week, or when you hint that they might not even get paid for that. But even against this backdrop, nothing is more acute than the French hatred of authority. True, they haven’t revived beheading, yet, but I still wouldn’t want to be an executive on French soil today:
Almost half of French people believe it is acceptable for workers facing layoffs to lock up their bosses, according to an opinion poll published on Tuesday.
Staff at French plants run by Sony, 3M and Caterpillar have held managers inside the factories overnight, in three separate incidents, to demand better layoff terms — a new form of labor action dubbed “bossnapping” by the media.
A poll by the CSA institute for Le Parisien newspaper found 50 percent of French people surveyed disapproved of such acts, but 45 percent thought they were acceptable.
So, we wonder, Dealbreaker, as a purely theoretical exercise because, of course, we absolutely abhor violence, when Congress passes the “No Executive Left Outside” law, who would be the most likely candidates in North America for a bit of bossnapping? (Aside from Ken Lewis, that is). Would you hold Count Vikula in the zen garden?
Almost half of French approve of locking up bosses [Reuters]
Frank Shirley
Mere Whitney.
Cliff A$ne$$
At least French workers still have some balls.
@ 4 – Give me a break. That their workers do garbage like this is why they’re France, and not the USA.
These little populist uprisings are always spearheaded by those who want something for nothing because life is not fair.
Probably a sign of times to come in the U.S.
I’m surprised that the French workers would go through the effort of staying at work overnight. My guess is that they bossnapped their boss then the 3 o’clock bell rung and they decided he had learned his lesson.
@5 = Marie Antoinette
I love the part where only 5% didn’t have an opinion. In the U.S. you would get at least 25% answering “WTF?”. Leave it to the French to have a view on everything.
I’m thinking Jamie Dimon needs to watch out for one Blndebanker driving a dark van with tinted windows, Paradise USA decals on the side, and Kansas vanity plates reading “LUV MOTL”.
-Not Blndebanker
perhaps they should channel that energy toward the military, they might actually come out on top of a “skirmish”…
We are all lucky we don’t live in France.
@7 = Pierre Leroux
barrack obama
How long until the French surrender?
Once the Common Agricultural Policy money dries up, France will be done for.
No wonder they wouldn’t let me go work in the Paris office…
Stupid French. Seize the cash and kick the managers out.
such vitriol! be honest: sounds like many of your girlfriends were cuckolding you while on study abroad…
French gangs are pussies…..
http://www.break.com/index/dude-mugged-on-paris-bus1.html
What workforce has lower productivity — Jamaica’s or France’s?