France: Culture & Economy

[barbaro]

Can someone explain to me the thinking & thought, and philosophy and actions of the French? I know there is 1 French member here at least. I just want to learn, and I am not judging. I am curious.

The recent protests over lay-offs during this timultuous period are hard for me to understand. Protesting over corruption, I understand. But lay-offs? Perhaps the Americans are too obsequious. Too passive. And accept their crap circumstances too easily? Balance.

French Workers Rebel At Caterpillar Plant

Protesting Job Cuts, Union Laborers Occupy Factory, Detain Management


PARIS, March 31, 2009

An employee of Caterpillar uses his mobile phone as he waits in the entrance hall of the Caterpillar plant of Grenoble, French Alps, Tuesday March 31, 2009. (AP PHOTO)



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(AP) Angry French workers facing layoffs at a Caterpillar factory briefly detained four of their bosses Tuesday at the U.S. manufacturer's plant in the Alps to protest job cuts, a regional official said.

It is the third time in the past few weeks that French workers have seized their bosses to protest job losses stemming from the global economic crisis.

Last week, workers at a 3M plant south of Paris held the company boss for two days, and earlier this month workers at a Sony plant held a similar protest.

In a new twist, the mayor of the small town of Pont-Saint-Esprit in southern France was prevented from leaving city hall by townspeople angry over municipal management amid the economic downturn. Phone calls to the mayor's office went unanswered, but the local police confirmed there was a "crisis."

Workers occupied parts of the Caterpillar plant in Grenoble on Tuesday morning and detained the managers. Police later moved in to clear out the seized areas and the managers were freed, said Chrystele Aubert, chief of communication for the regional government.

"The situation is now calm," she said in a telephone interview, adding that the Caterpillar management was negotiating with the workers.

Unions representing the workers said they had detained the managers because they wanted new talks on Caterpillar's layoff plans at the site in Grenoble. The plant that produces building equipment is supposed to cut 733 jobs in two of its factories in France.

"There is no violence or sequestration, but simply pressure so they restart negotiations," said Pierre Piccarreta, a representative from the CGT union.

"At a time when the company is making a profit and distributing dividends to shareholders, we want to find a favorable outcome for all the workers and know as quickly as possible where we are going," Piccarreta said.

Caterpillar France says the layoffs are justified. In February, the company said it was facing a 55 percent loss of orders between 2008 and 2009.

Link & Entire: French Workers Rebel At Caterpillar Plant - CBS News

[blackgang]

Seems like they have about the same there as here, they want to be like the civil service in the USA, wont work and you can't fire em,
That same shit is what brought the auto industry to it's knees, as far as I can see on any job and any employer, if there is no work then you get layed off, you let the worst of the bunch go and keep the best if you do have a little work for them, there is no seniority at layoff time, but no work and you do not need a crew.
I have been layed off lots of times as there is no job that is going to last forever, all jobs do come to completion, I will keep all the crew I have work for, and others have kept me, but when the contract is finished it is time to call the hall, thats why we have dispatchers, employers call them and they call you.
And you are paid for every hour you work and when it is over you pack your tools and load up, and there is no severance pay, thats bullshit, most likely you cost them something to get you comfortable with the job if not completely train you so why should they have to pay you when they have no more work for you, if you wanted a pocket full of money when it was over then you should have saved some from your paychecks.

As far as culture,, do you call it culture to shit in the shower and push the chunks down the drain with your toes "Culture"? coarse they don't do that often, infact they shower very little and smell quite often.

[Rural Surin]

The French have a long history of resistence and solidarity {as such}....been known to close the country for a time. Regardless, it is what it is.

[Butterfly]

you wouldn't understand, MM, it has to do about fighting for your rights and never accept any kind of authority

after all, we saved you guys from the Brits,

and we created the Declaration of Human Rights, which is a preamble in the US and France Constitution,

[chassamui]

I like the French attitude to legal issues. If they don't like a law, they just ignore it.

[HermantheGerman]

Can someone explain to me the thinking & thought, and philosophy and actions of the French? I know there is 1 French member here at least. I just want to learn, and I am not judging. I am curious.

The recent protests over lay-offs during this timultuous period are hard for me to understand. Protesting over corruption, I understand. But lay-offs? Perhaps the Americans are too obsequious. Too passive. And accept their crap circumstances too easily? Balance.

Must be that "Frankish" blood still running in their veins, and from time to time they just need to get out the ole "Francisca".

[kingwilly]

you wouldn't understand, MM, it has to do about fighting for your rights and never accept any kind of authority

after all, we saved you guys from the Brits,

and we created the Declaration of Human Rights, which is a preamble in the US and France Constitution,

Basically a country of Wingnuts and Moonbats ever since they cut the heads off all the rich people., eh?

[FlyFree]

^ Methinks the world is ready for another round of that.

[barbaro]

after all, we saved you guys from the Brits,

Good point.

I remember General De Grasse during the Revolutionary war in the US. With De Grasse the American colonialists likely would not have won.

[panama hat]

As far as culture,, do you call it culture to shit in the shower and push the chunks down the drain with your toes "Culture"? coarse they don't do that often, infact they shower very little and smell quite often.

And you purport to know so much about French people because . . . ? Have you actually ever been there? Lived there? Worked there?

Your typical one-liners a la Jet make you simply sound even more stupid than you probably are.

The French have a long history of resistence and solidarity {as such}....been known to close the country for a time. Regardless, it is what it is.

Very true, and they hold their customs very dear, part of the French problem vis-a-vis () agricultural subsidies.

you wouldn't understand, MM, it has to do about fighting for your rights and never accept any kind of authority

Sounds about right . . . as opposed to those who believe they are the harbingers of freedom yet have lost most of it to their government

I remember General De Grasse during the Revolutionary war in the US. With De Grasse the American colonialists likely would not have won.

Eternal gratitude is called for. Didn't we have a thread about gratitude?



In my eyes the French are simply very friendly, very localised, people. I lived in Paris at first and then moved just outside of Paris after a year and took the train in to work every day . . . excellent food, excellent wine and my favourite practise: Ricard!

Clearly I can't be the only one thinking that as France is still the worldwide number one tourist destination, and has been for a long time

The French are probably the only nation that really doesn't give a flying doughnut what anyone else thinks of them as they are very comfortable about their life and way of doing things . . . from the bull fights in the south to the apres-ski in the east etc . . .

France has everything in a relatively small country, beach, mountains, desert, forests etc . . .

Excellent country.

[Marmite the Dog]

They're a bit like Thais.

No respect for the law.

They think their food is better than it is.

They don't expect to work for a living.

They think they are the centre of the world, despite no one else thinking that.

They capitulate at the first sign of an invasion force.

[Butterfly]

They're a bit like Thais.

actually I think you are right in that regard, was thinking that myself the other day. But they seem close to American actually, same superficiality, obsession etc... without the obesity

They think they are the centre of the world, despite no one else thinking that.

Actually, France and Paris are the center of the world, and we have the numbers to prove it. 70 millions visitors a year, and #1 destination in the world

beat that you silly rosbeef

[kingwilly]

Clearly I can't be the only one thinking that as France is still the worldwide number one tourist destination, and has been for a long time

agreed.

and I'm certain that Paris is still considered the Fashion and Romance capital of the world.

[Marmite the Dog]

Actually, France and Paris are the center of the world, and we have the numbers to prove it.

Actually, Greenwich, London is the centre and we have all those nice lines on world maps to prove it.

[chitown]

Clearly I can't be the only one thinking that as France is still the worldwide number one tourist destination, and has been for a long time

agreed.

and I'm certain that Paris is still considered the Gay capital of the world.

True that!

[blackgang]

They're a bit like Thais. No respect for the law. They think their food is better than it is. They don't expect to work for a living. They think they are the centre of the world, despite no one else thinking that. They capitulate at the first sign of an invasion force.

Boy, you got that shit right, I rermember what the GI's were saying about the Frogs whenn they came home after WWll.
And I have been on jobs with em and had a tech rep from Freuhauf France come down to Saudi when we were getting the 45 cu yd dumps set up and he stayed at the hotel we had leased for crews quarters and the filipinos stayed there and Americans in a small compound and the flippers were bitching about what a nasty bastard he was.
And there waas one up in CM that made the AA meetings and when he came I left cause he was not nearly as clean as the Thai. and stunk up the meeting room..

And sure the Ze Frogs did lend a hand at the battle of New Orleans cause they wanted to sell it to the Americans and did in 1803, other than that they would have ran like they always do.

[Boon Mee]

Look no further than to this shining example of French citizenry, eh?

Jean Marie Le Pen, the leader of French neo-Nazi party “Front National” and friend and ally of Filip DeWinter of the Belgian fascist group Vlaams Belang, is back in the news again — for reiterating his Holocaust denial in a speech to the European Parliament: Le Pen calls gas chambers “detail” of WW II.

PARIS (JTA) — Extreme rightist Jean-Marie Le Pen told the EU Parliament that “gas chambers were a detail in the history of the Second World War.”
Following the remark, which he made on Wednesday, European Union Parliament members drafted an accord that could prevent the 81-year-old Le Pen from presiding over July’s inaugural session of parliament, Reuters reported.





What a top-drawer POS, eh?

[panama hat]

I rermember

WEll, that's an improvement . . . As for the rest of the post: as usual

[blackgang]

Jean Marie Le Pen,

OK now what.
Does he go by 'Jean' when he playing poker wizz ze boyz
And 'Marie' when he is blowing ze boyz?

[Boon Mee]

Jean Marie Le Pen,

OK now what.
Does he go by 'Jean' when he playing poker wizz ze boyz
And 'Marie' when he is blowing ze boyz?

Him and that other cock-sucker - Barney Frank should hook up, eh?

[Felix Sphinx]

Liberties for eternity and Chateau Pilllar

[Cold Pizza]

Please help me with more book recommendations and info.


Thanks.

[Neverna]

^ Another nice bump. More salami ordered for later this evening.

[wasabi]

My pleasure, did you know that the most famous postal box in the world is located at the base of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
I posted a Virgin Media canvassing letter back to Virgin by writing across the address Not Wanted and RTS, by placing it in the Eiffel Tower letter box.

[harrybarracuda]

Please help me with more book recommendations and info.


Thanks.

Now shove your old shit thread up your arse.