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View Full Version : "Keep your so-called workers," U.S. boss tells France



jimnyc
02-20-2013, 12:07 PM
(Reuters) - The CEO of a U.S. tire maker has delivered a crushing summary of how some outsiders view France's work ethic in a letter saying he would have to be stupid to take over a factory whose staff only put in three hours work a day.

Titan International's Maurice Taylor, nicknamed "The Grizz" for his negotiating style, told the left-wing French industry minister in a letter published by media on Wednesday that he had no interest in rescuing a plant set for closure.

"The French workforce gets paid high wages but works only three hours. They get one hour for breaks and lunch, talk for three and work for three," Taylor wrote on February 8 in the letter in English to the minister, Arnaud Montebourg.

"I told this to the French union workers to their faces. They told me that's the French way!" Taylor added in the letter, which was posted by business daily Les Echos on its website and which the ministry confirmed was genuine.

"Titan is going to buy a Chinese tire company or an Indian one, pay less than one Euro per hour wage and ship all the tires France needs," he said. "You can keep the so-called workers."

Socialist President Francois Hollande might take some comfort in Taylor's view of his own country's business policies: "The U.S. government is not much better than the French," he said, referring to a dispute over Chinese exports.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/20/us-france-workers-idUSBRE91J0OF20130220

CSM
02-20-2013, 12:16 PM
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/20/us-france-workers-idUSBRE91J0OF20130220

Interesting. Makes me wonder how long it will be before U.S. unions force local companies into the same mindset.

tailfins
02-20-2013, 12:54 PM
Reuters) - The CEO of a U.S. tire maker has delivered a crushing summary of how some outsiders view France's work ethic in a letter saying he would have to be stupid to take over a factory whose staff only put in three hours work a day.

Titan International's Maurice Taylor, nicknamed "The Grizz" for his negotiating style, told the left-wing French industry minister in a letter published by media on Wednesday that he had no interest in rescuing a plant set for closure.

"The French workforce gets paid high wages but works only three hours. They get one hour for breaks and lunch, play on message boards like DebatePolicy.com for three and work for three," Taylor wrote on February 8 in the letter in English to the minister, Arnaud Montebourg.

"I told this to the French union workers to their faces. They told me that's the French way!" Taylor added in the letter, which was posted by business daily Les Echos on its website and which the ministry confirmed was genuine.

"Titan is going to buy a Chinese tire company or an Indian one, pay less than one Euro per hour wage and ship all the tires France needs," he said. "You can keep the so-called workers."

Socialist President Francois Hollande might take some comfort in Taylor's view of his own country's business policies: "The U.S. government is not much better than the French," he said, referring to a dispute over Chinese exports.

It sounds like the company I work for. It's really frustrating for those hungry to learn. People get annoyed if you want to explore a new approach to produce a more elegant result. "That would mean we have to learn _____" is considered a valid objection to improving a process. In fact my team lead is French.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/20/us-france-workers-idUSBRE91J0OF20130220

Voted4Reagan
02-20-2013, 02:09 PM
unions need to vanish