Sony execs detained by workers over severance pay

When employees at Sony's operation in France didn't get severance packages they considered fair, they took matters into their own hands.

On Friday, union workers freed Serge Foucher, CEO of Sony France, and Roland Bentz, head of human resources, from the company's factory in southwest France where they had been held since Thursday afternoon, according to a report by the Associated Press. Employees were angry over the terms of their severance, and kept the two from leaving as a way of protest.

The union representing the employees freed the two executives on the condition that Sony management restart discussions regarding the pay packages. The employees say they want vocational training to help them find new jobs, as well as relocation packages if necessary.

Sony announced it would be closing the plant, along with several others worldwide in an attempt to save the company $1.1 billion annually by 2010.

[viper396]

Only in France... In any other country this would be kidnapping, extortion and unlawful detention or imprisonment.

[paulej]

Must be nice to enjoy some freedoms, I guess. Yeah, in the US they'd likely just construct prison walls right around the factory ;-)

[ewsachse]

Fight the power!

At least the US finally got up to speed and sent Bernie Madoff to a life sentence of being someone's prison bride.

[plr60]

Please! He'll be sent to a Federal Country Club, not a Federal Prison.

The rest of us should be so lucky...

[regulator1956]

If Bernie gets 25 years or more, no Club fed allowed.

[jfrdricks2009]

You know he will get special treatment.

[kzpn]

I think its wonderful. Multinationals clearly need to be more aware of local customs and temperaments before applying US-style cost cutting. Perhaps in this case one can't have her pie (locate exUS and get the tax or cost breaks) and eat it too (layoffs). Cheers to Sony France.

[mediocrates--2008]

"...US-style cost cutting."

*Snicker* Because only Americans concern themselves with budgets and cost control. Riiiight!

[Renegade Knight]

@mediocrates--2008

Yup. US Style meaning "make Wall Street happy today with no thought of the future". That way US Style companies won't have a future. GM is a classic example. There was a time when they seem to love to build cars. Somewhere they focused on bean counting and not the cars. Now they are working quick to be a banrumpt has been of a company. If GM has a future that future is in making cars that people buy, not in selling accounting tricks to Wall Street and now the Feds.

[Dylan_Wisor]

Hmm. So unions taking the world hostage has taken on a literal meaning.

[ridobo]

dylan; hail the french. It wasn't the union so much as it was the solardarity of the workers that are tired of the bullsh-- that "corporate" has been shoving down the workers throats for years. It's about time, now if only Americans would grow some b-lls and do the same.to the corrupt Wall Streeters and their co-conspirators in Washington. I guarantee if Americans don't start standing up for their future and their rightful claim to a more equitable distribution of the wealth they produce "corporate" will own us all.

[jfrdricks2009]

I didn't even know they HAD Sony in france!!

[totocalimero]

Why not? Because you've never been there? Because you never went abroad? Dude, wise up! France is not perfect but they are not retarded either.

[camp88]

Could be worse for the higher ups in France.

Back in the day, a "severance package" in French used to be what happened in an encounter with a guillotine.

[Lanefelton]

well just goes to show how things are in france, i mean with all the youth riots attacking and burning buses and attacking policemen, france is not a safe place and they will turn violent if they dont get their demands.