Terrorism? Nah: French Love Kidnapping Bosses

One country’s act of industrial terror is another’s negotiation tactic, the Independent reports. Disgruntled Sony workers in France weren’t shy about locking their bosses inside a factory overnight with trunks and tree branches, demanding better severance packages after job cuts were announced. Police didn’t interfere with the kidnappers, either.

Both sides called the hostage-taking “good humored and perfectly friendly," and laborers freed their bosses after Sony agreed to continue talks. “Refusing to let the chief executive leave was our last chance,” said one employee. “We didn’t have any other choice.” The “sequestration” of bosses is not unusual in France: Last year, workers at one plant held their bosses for 5 days.
(More France stories.)