Being the boss of a firm isn't easy. The job has become even harder in today's economic climate, as employers across the world are forced into job cuts and salary reductions. This can be risky business - especially if you're a boss in France. There, workers are using kidnapping as a leverage tool to demand better pay-offs and conditions.
Luc Rousselet, director of 3M's French operations, was held captive for two days and two nights, locked into his own office, after announcing a series of retrenchments. Angry workers only withdrew their blockade after the company agreed to renegotiate the proposed severance packages.
He has so far been the most famous "boss-napping" victim since the economic downturn took hold, but he's certainly not the only. Others to feel the industrial relations war on a personal level include the billionaire boss of the Gucci fashion brand Francois Henri. His car was surrounded by angry workers as it tried to leave Paris earlier this year. French riot police were eventually forced to clear an exit path.
So-called "boss-napping" is not a new phenomenon. It has been a realistic part of union negotiating tactics in France since as early as 1968. The Henri example is one of the few in which police get involved. More often, there is a tacit acknowledgement that the incidents are part of the negotiating exercise. That is true to the extent that there is rarely any violence involved.
Typical or otherwise, it is clear the global downturn has brought about an increase in worker militancy in several countries. While the most extreme examples are possibly taking place in Europe, Asia is by no means immune to the rise.
The International Trade Union Confederation says the killing or "enforced disappearances" of key union leaders is a common method of maintaining industrial peace in this region. Its latest survey into anti-union violence chastises the Philiippines in particular, where it says four leaders were killed over the last year. The statistics are murky in other countries. In China, Myanmar, Laos, and Vietnam, only official state-controlled unions are allowed to operate so it is difficult to pinpoint specific incidents as "anti-union" activity.
On the streets in China
China's economy is still growing during the downturn, but that growth has been segmented. Many industry sectors, particularly the export-driven manufacturing industry, are shedding workers. And with many migrant workers returning home to China's cities, unemployment - and the threat of it - has become a significant issue.
Across the country, China saw more than 58,000 strikes, street protests and unauthorised road blocks in the first three months of this year. Hong Kong agencies monitoring political stability on the mainland say 2009 is likely to be a record-breaking year in this respect. If the trend continues, some 230,000 incidents are likely to be recorded. That's a massive increase when compared with the 120,000 reports last year and the 90,000 in 2006.
A large majority of the actions have involved workers protesting employment-related threats and decisions such as salary cuts and retrenchments.
There are very few independent trade unions in China. The All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) governs the officially-recognised bodies, with the ruling party banning independent operations.
The ACFTU acknowledges the downturn may be cause for unrest and it is working closely with the government to minimise the fallout on workers. It has provided employment training and other services to nearly 10 million workers since the downturn first hit.
It has also benefited from new labour laws, introduced last year, which force most employers to create an ACFTU-affiliated union on site. The umbrella body expects to gain an extra five million members this year, up from 66 million at present.
Authorities hope the tougher body will be able to represent workers fairly but peacefully. Yang Zhiming, Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, says increased mediation and arbitration in labour disputes will help businesses "ride out the hard times". He does, however, advise that safeguarding workers' interests is also a priority.
Hong Kong's guarantees
Away from the mainland, things are a little different. The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) offers workers a channel to air their grievances peacefully. It led this year's Labour Day processions in which thousands echoed calls for employers and the Hong Kong government to directly protect employment and worker rights.
Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, Secretary for Labour and Welfare, says the Hong Kong government seeks to forestall excessively low wages and to criminalise the non-payment of Labour Tribunal awards. His Minimum Wage Bill and Employment (Amendment) Bill are scheduled to be debated in the Legislative Council within the current session.
Cheung says continued employment and new job opportunities are high on the Government's agenda.It is now implementing a series of measures to stabilise the financial system, support enterprises, preserve employment and create jobs, he said.
Singapore style
Singapore has been quick to tackle the economic crisis in its own way. Its "tripartite" approach to labour-management relations, provides a consultative platform for industrial relations issues to be addressed, with employers, unions and government all taking an active role. This has helped guide employers to implement alternative ways of managing excess manpower during the downturn, allowing for retrenchments only in the last resort scenario.
"I would say that it is the close cooperation and working together with the government, unions and employers that has helped to stabilise and strengthen industrial relations in Singapore," says Koh Juan Kiat, Executive Director at the Singapore National Employers Federation.
Freezing of headcounts and annual leave clearing have been more common approaches in Singapore. These less drastic strategies are also easier and cheaper to implement.
In this way, organisations looking to reduce headcount allow for natural attrition in the first instance. Other strategies have included shorter working weeks, wage reductions or redeployment of staff around the organisation.
"In implementing any of the cost-cutting measures, management is urged to lead by example and adopt the principle of equal sacrifice," says Koh, reiterating the cooperative nature of industrial relations on the island-state. If even the heads of employer groups are calling for calm and measured responses to the tough business environment, it's clear the tripartite approach is not just a polite theory.
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) says having employer groups and unions represented in the Government also helps engender a cooperative approach at the firm-level. These include NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say and Deputy Secretaries-General Halimah Yacob and Heng Chee How. "Our labour MPs share our workers' voices so that their concerns can be heard and appreciated," says Cham Huifong, Industrial Relations Director, NTUC.