IN THE RADICAL PRESS / L’HUMANITE When it was opened in 1973, the Peugeot Citroen (PSA) Aulnay factory had a promising future. The Peugeot family, who wanted to make the plant a beacon of modernity, having already obtained an advantageous labour deal on hiring the new workforce, decided to assemble its legendary DS there. With … Continue reading
Two hundred workers from ArcelorMittal’s Florange steel plant in France’s Lorraine region had planned a mass picnic Thursday morning in front of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s campaign HQ in Paris’ 15th arrondissement. But they were welcomed with tear gas by 200 police officers, who immediately removed them. ‘The people’s candidate welcomed the people with tear gas,’ a worker joked, referring to Sarkozy’s latest … Continue reading
IN BRIEF / ITALY Sixty thousand Italians have adhered to a consumer boycott of Golden Lady ladies’ stockings following the company’s decision to shut down its manufacturing plant in Faenza, northen Italy, firing 239 workers, mostly women. The company is to discontinue operations at the plant as of March, moving them to Serbia where labour … Continue reading