Financial News
- 21 February 2013, 11:10
France's Goodyear Workers 'Too Lazy To Save'
An American tycoon has ruled out the rescue of the Goodyear tyre factory in France because he thinks its workers are "too lazy" to make the business viable.
French minister Arnaud Montebourg had hoped Maurice M Taylor Jr, the president of the American Titan group, would step in to keep the plant in the north of the country going.
But in a letter sent earlier this month to Mr Montebourg, the American said a very emphatic "non".
"I and Titan have a 40-year history of buying closed factories and companies, losing millions of dollars and turning them around to create a good business paying good wages," he wrote.
"Goodyear tried for more than four years to save part of the Amiens jobs that are some of the highest paid around but the French unions and French government did nothing but talk.
"I have visited that factory a couple of times. 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. I told this to the French union workers to their faces. They told me that's the French way!
"You are a politician so you don't want to rock the boat. The Chinese are shipping tyres into France - really all over Europe - and yet you do nothing. The Chinese government subsidises all the tyre companies. In five years, Michelin won't be able to produce tyres in France.
"Sir, your letter states that you want Titan to start a dialogue. How stupid do you think we are? Titan is the one with the money and the talent to produce tyres. What does the crazy union have? It has the French government.
"The French farmer wants cheap tyres. He does not care if the tyres are from China or India and these governments are subsidising them. Your government doesn't care either: "We're French!"
Goodyear announced last month it is to close its main French plant and cut its workforce in the country by almost 40%, as car demand falls and labour disputes increase.
what do you think?
gary campbell
I love the french, holiday there regularly, spent a week in the Peugeot motorsport factory on the outskirts of Paris observing and this fat yank has it spot-on (apart from the hour lunch, its 2hrs!) only factory canteen I've ever been in where they sell bottles of wine to the staff @ lunchtime! And for the record, I'd LOVE to work in France!
DeadUniqueGamer
we live in france and its not the way to run a country, no wonder there are so many homeless here! they open at 9, close at 12, open again at 3 sometime 4 and then shut again at 6/7. if u r in a shop at 11.50 they turn off the lights and kick you out and god-forbid you should actually want to pay for something at 11.55! the french are work shy and extremely lazy they live for lunchtime and you must not interupt that for love nor money....i understand the not opening sundays as they are very family orientated but they seriously need a rethink on being closed for a 3-4 hour lunch! we love living here but for this country to get on its feet the government needs to get a grip of reality and move with the times, open more hours means more people in work also means people on their lunch breaks will go shopping after having lunch...
Peter Edwardson
Good job he hasn't been to the UK or he'd shut the lot down.
johnny_1234
the french are lazy.
chrishearn350
Non ! not the one's Ive worked with . But they do try to enjoy live a little.
davenlesley
Harsh words and if they are true it tells you all you need to know about working practices in France. It would seem too many of them think the world owes them a living much the same as Greece.
bjnk
"You are a politician so you don't want to rock the boat. The Chinese are shipping tyres into France - really all over Europe - and yet you do nothing. The Chinese government subsidises all the tyre companies. In five years, Michelin won't be able to produce tyres in France. Hard facts but its more sinister than just tyres, china has already taken economic controll of thousands of items and prices which are now as high or higher than manufacturing ourselves,plus the loss of jobs that implies.Politicians need to wake up and show some steel in their backbone and start to put things on a level playing field with regard to imports from China,and Chinese investment in our Country and its manufacturing.
john
Vive la France, there is more to life than working like slaves for billionaires.
David Francis
John - before I can make my mind up about your post, just give us a clue as to what sort of employer you currently work for.
Dave Smith
He's a self employed troll.
gordon
If he is self-employed, with his attitude he will go bankrupt
john
I am happily retired (civil engineering and mining) now chums, but do you really think that people are happier now, working all hours, rather than 30 or 40 years ago? The pendulem has swung violently in favour of the rich, 1% possess 93% percent of the world's wealth.
Michael Hawkins
John Not in the former coal industry
David Francis
Ok John - if you are retired I would bet that you were emplyed during the 'golden years'. Things have changed John. The far east economies are being successful by sheer hard graft - the same that we did about 100 years ago but no longer. 35 hours attendance at work every week is not enough to compete with the rest of the world. Until everyone in Europe comprehends this fact, our economy & the EUs will continue to shrink. I agree it's no fun 'slaving away' for the rich but I'd rather do that and feed my family than be idle and struggle even more.
john
You would be happy living on a bowl of rice a day DF? Things have changed alright, for the worst. 1% holding 93% of the world's wealth is a recipe for trouble
David Francis
John - of course I woud NOT be happy - but I am prepared to work harder to keep the lifestyle I've got rather than take it all for granted which many do.
bjnk
David, its no use working all hours manufacturing something which will be stockpiled because you don't have the sales market.Far east economies are benefiting and working hard because their policy of closing other countries manufacturing by at first undercutting prices until they don't exist,market cornered.100 years ago we were productive,you named it we manufactured it,now we import it,this outflow of our wealth will have to stop when we've no money and no one will supply us, we're nearly there,then the rebuild of our Country can start. Many of the 1% hopefully will have cleared off,thats if they live here. Make a start ask your shops for British made goods and food leave the other on the shelves,then they might get the message.
Name witheld
This comment has been removed for violations of our Terms and Conditions.
chrishearn350
They put up a fierce fight in the first world war but the Germans had better kit and in the second we were only saved at first by the channel . We are not so unalike !
happymike CHESTER
If the French are lazy why do they still have most of their industry intact .The thing from Grantham sent all our more productive industry to China India ect. and brain washed us into believing we were lazy. Longest hours less holidays more productive than Germany/France.
t.bulgin
The french gov uses tax payers money to subsidise french industry. they are non productive without it. I am glad i dont work there and im glad that Margaret Thatcher didn't use my tax money to prop up failing British industries. Survival of the fittestm, not the union wasters as descibed in the piece above. That is how things were here before Thatcher sorted it out. Brain washed us !, you are completely unbalanced. She got us working down south, and very prosperouse we are for it.
john
You must be extremely deluded if you believe that demented old witch improved the lives of the people of this country, deregulation of the banks began with her and her partner in crime Reagan, but I suppose you think that that was a good thing?
happymike CHESTER
Spent all our countries oil wealth on smashing Trade Unions, pointless war, encouraging the new unemployed to claim disability and building expensive oil fired power plants ect.
stephen
well said john
Phil A
And no doubt they will live longer and happier live than we do.
Peter Carter
I'd be interested to know what this guy's working habits are, and if they can possibly justify his, no doubt obscenely huge, salary. We have easily the technology and the knowledge to provide for the needs of all our citizens without destroying the vast majority of our time making ourselves miserable at mundane, dreary jobs for minimal wages. If we don't... well, the product of all that labour is going somewhere. Either we're doing stuff that doesn't need doing, or it's going to people who don't need it. I don't know how much truth there is what this guy is saying, but it makes sense for fat-cats to believe the working masses are lazy when trying to justify the amount they're getting for what little they actually do for the world...
happymike CHESTER
SPOT ON!!.Peter
t.bulgin
France is a strange country. I can't help thinking that without the EU gravy train being skewed massively in their favour that they wouldn't have been able to afford a work force that has behaved for decades like the union controlled workers in this country did for a few years in the seventies. Sleeping on British Leyland double time, grossly overpaid printers, work to rule, striking on a whim, holding the innocent public and public companies to ransom etc.
t.bulgin
Now that a foreign company has called their bluff its like they dont know axactly how to handle it. "we wish to hold talks" too late mes ami, you have blown it.
t.bulgin
"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. I told this to the French union workers to their faces. They told me that's the French way!" paid for with EU subsidies. What mugs we are, striving so hard to keep these fat porkers happy in their muck.
john
You do spout some right wing Daily Mail style drivel T.B.
Peter Coates
All french and italian car makers subsidised withour eu taxes. Absolutely scandalous. On top of that, the rest of our cash goes to subsidise the bbc and politicians. All useless crooks.
Adrian Wagstaff
3:52pm on 20/2/2013
Has that loud mouth ever been to DETROIT? Detroit WAS the centre of American car production and is now WHAT? Why?