French Workers Hold Managers Captive

May 30, 2007
Shoemakers burst into meeting and detain executives for four hours.

Shoe factory workers in southern France took four senior managers captive on May 30 after the firm announced plans to relocate its production to Tunisia. Managers of Jallatte, Europe's leading manufacturer of safety shoes, told workers early May 30 they intended to cut 285 out of 336 jobs across its four French production sites. Furious at the news, union leaders and workers burst into a meeting in the southern town of Saint Hippolyte du Fort, attended by four top executives, including Giovanni Falco, managing director of the company's Italian owner JAL.

The managers were held captive for several hours, until Falco agreed to push back by three weeks a June 6 meeting intended to kickstart the restructuring plan.

Falco was to take part in a round table meeting later with workers and local officials to consider ways of keeping manufacturing jobs in the Gard region, which has been hit by a string of high-profile relocations in recent months, including the stocking maker Well.

The protesting workers had called on President Nicolas Sarkozy to fulfil a campaign pledge to stop French manufacturing from shifting abroad.

Founded in 1947 as a rubber boot manufacturer, Jallatte now produces 1.2 million pairs of safety shoes a year.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2007

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Decarbonizing Your Supply Chain: Striving for Net Zero

Feb. 12, 2024
Manufacturers face mounting pressure to decarbonize operations and supply chains. Meeting regulatory goals demands bold action and transparency. Collaboration with suppliers offers...

4 Signs that it Might Be Time to Rethink Your Facility Layout

Aug. 18, 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent disruptions have had broad effects on the economy, resulting in many manufacturers shifting their business models. Some companies saw ...

The ROI of Smart Manufacturing

April 18, 2023
Is smart manufacturing worth the investment? Explore our ABI Report and learn how private cellular networks can generate a 10x to 20x ROI as it highlights five promising use cases...

Four Keys To Operational Excellence

Sept. 20, 2023
As manufacturers face supply chain disruption and shrinking margins, increasing operations performance is critical. Our smart manufacturing guidebook can help you achieve the ...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!