Goodyear sues French workers

ERJ staff report (TB)

Amiens, France − Goodyear's French business unit is suing the CGT labour union in France over the forced detaining of two of its executives earlier this week and the ongoing occupation of the Amiens-Nord plant in northern France, reported Tire Business.

Goodyear Dunlop Tires France said in a statement the lawsuit was filed Wednesday (8 January) with the prosecutor in Amiens, France, noting it can't accept "actions that endanger people and goods."

Goodyear did not elaborate on what measures it's seeking in the lawsuit.

The managers held captive by workers − identified as Michel Dheilly, director of production at the factory, and Bernard Glesser, head of the site's human resources department − were freed 7 January after police intervened, ending a two-day standoff.

Workers at the plant have been demanding new negotiations over severance packages since Goodyear notified the union of its intention to close the site.

A Goodyear spokesman confirmed to Tire Business that workers have been occupying the plant for the past few days, but it's not known whether work has ceased completely.

For its part, the CGT labour union blames Goodyear and the French government for the situation, Goodyear for its "dismissive attitude" toward negotiations and the government for failing to pass a law prohibiting layoffs in groups that are making a profit, as had been promised.