TOULOUSE, France (AFP)--Drunken French workers, angry that their
plant is to be shut down by its U.S. owners, beat up a senior U.S.
executive after he visited the factory, the firm alleged Wednesday,
an allegation the workers' union denies.
"Forty drunken people verbally and then physically attacked Eric
Doesburg as he left the factory" on Tuesday evening, said Molex
Inc.'s (MOLX) local boss Marcus Kerriou, adding that Doesburg was
both kicked and punched.
But a CGT union official at the plant in Villemur-sur-Tarn in
southwestern France said Doesburg, the electronic parts maker's
business development chief in the U.S., "did not receive any blows,
just eggs."
Doesburg, who currently uses a walking stick after a recent knee
operation, went to see a doctor after the incident and made a
complaint, said Kerriou.
French Industry Minister Christian Estrosi condemned the alleged
attack, saying that "these acts of violence do a disservice to the
workers' cause and make negotiations even more difficult."
The Molex workers have been on strike since July 7 to protest
against the plan to shut down their factory.