Accord reached at French 'acid protest' factory

GIVET, France (Reuters) -- A tentative accord on layoff conditions was reached overnight at a French textile factory whose workers earlier this week dumped thousands of litres of sulphuric acid into a nearby stream during a protest.

Witnesses said on Thursday that about 100 of the 153 workers of the Cellatex plant in this eastern French town agreed on conditions proposed by government representatives after protracted negotiations.

Formal acceptance of the conditions was expected at a general assembly of employees later in the day or on Friday, witnesses said.

The accord calls for continued pay for two years after the plant closes and a cash bonus of 80,000 francs ($11,500), about half the figure initially demanded by the workers.

The Cellatex employees drew national attention to their case on Tuesday when they dumped acid into a nearby stream in protest against redundancy conditions offered after their workplace, the last viscose production plant in France, went into liquidation on July 5.

Angry brewery employees near the Alsatian city of Strasbourg took their cue from the textile workers when they took a manager hostage on Wednesday and threatened to blow up their plant to protest its impending closure.

The Cellatex workers had themselves initially threatened to blow up their workplace before dumping the acid into the stream, turning it blood red.

Emergency workers threw down sand barriers to stop the toxic acid flowing into the River Meuse, which also runs through Benelux countries.

Politicians have been quick to criticise the protesters' tactics but have stopped short of outright condemnation.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For more Europe news, myCNN.com will bring you news from the areas and subjects you select.

See related sites about Europe

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.