Since Friday, the plant Fralib is occupied by its employees. A situation that is denounced by the president of Unilever France, Bruno Witvoët. "This is unacceptable in a constitutional state, says in an interview in Paris-Today-in-France. Such a coup with hooded individuals armed with baseball bats and batons, it is not of union action, it's a commando! ". The boss of Unilever France claiming the expulsion "immediate and prompt action with law enforcement" employees, has also filed a complaint for "physical threats" from the police. "From fabrications," Olivier replied Leberquier, CGT union. According to the police of Aubagne, intervened at the scene, there would have been no collision.

"Holland must keep its promises"

"Closing a plant is always a very difficult decision, Bruno recognizes Witvoët. But in some cases – including tea bags – we have overcapacity. This is justified in stopping this site ". He said Unilever has taken responsibility in the case of employees of Fralib, accepting "to add additional resources for the revitalization of the local employment" as required by justice. "Funds for creating new jobs has increased from 1 to 1.5 million euros" and "each dismissed employee is entitled to an internal transfer, pay the same conditions, in one of six other plants in France , "he said.

This new twist, the 592nd day of the conflict comes as 80 of the 103 employees still struggle, of 182 initially received their letter of dismissal. At the same time, a moving company came to do a quote on the site, and management proposed the CGT to move out of its local business, or in organizing the escorted access, for reasons of safety concerns, dismantling machinery. A scenario rejected by the union, which wants to keep the tool working on site to implement an alternative plan of recovery of activity.

Given this situation, unions are demanding the intervention of Francois Hollande. During the presidential campaign, President-elect said: "Nothing is done, nothing is guaranteed and if victory comes, I will also be at your side, President of the French Republic, to get your site live, had he launched at a meeting of employees Fralib in Paris in February. "The company is now under the control of the CGT and the Netherlands should keep its promises. His election is a ray of hope, "says Olivier Leberquier. The standoff between employees Fralib and its direction is far from over.

The figures published on Wednesday trade deficits German and French offers a shortcut striking about the strengths and weaknesses of the two economies. German exports hit a record in March. They rose 0.9% on month and rise to 98.9 billion euros, thanks to the success of products across the Rhine outside the euro zone. Its trade surplus amounted to 17.4 billion euros, up 16.8%. "A further sign of a healthy German economy despite the crisis in the euro area", decrypts Wirschke Constantine, an economist at Natixis.

If, at the same time, France has reduced its trade deficit of almost 500 million euros to 5.7 billion euros, it hides a global slowdown in trade. Clearly, exports fell twice as fast as imports. The first fell to 558 million euros, to 36.491 billion, when the second fell by 1.1 billion euros to 42.212 billion on March.

"The decline is more pronounced for imports after the substantial purchases energy (oil, gas) caused by the February cold snap, so the trade deficit is reduced, 'the Customs. Apart from lower petroleum products, purchases of industrial products decreased, which could reflect a slowdown in France, as the perceived leading economic index for April.

For their part, "exports of manufacturing industries are marking time, after their sharp increase earlier this year," are Customs. Computer sectors, including automotive and aerospace have been less successful in other countries.  

The good health of the German economy, however, allowed the industry to limit the hexagonal case. In March, Germany has indeed set a record for imports as well (78.1 billion euros over the month, up 1.2%) whose French exports have benefited. Particularly in the industrial machinery sector.

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Never a newly elected president will have faced a complex situation on the unemployment front. It goes back no less than thirteen years ago to find indicators also deteriorated. The unemployment rate is nearly 10% again of the workforce, nearly one in four is unemployed, the long-term unemployed (unemployed for more than a year) adjoining 40% of registered employment center and length of unemployment has jumped nearly 20% since the crisis began, to 464 days.

Main reason: while the labor force grows, France does not create enough jobs. In contrast, the number of available positions in the economy has shrunk by 200,000 even in the last five years, a first in the Fifth Republic.

The crisis is obviously much. Nevertheless, not a head of state had signed a mandate with a negative balance. Even François Mitterrand, whose first seven were deadly with the disappearance of entire job in the steel and textiles, the odometer showed 56,300 designs in 1988.

Francois Hollande, who "give a year" to reverse the unemployment curve, in any case will be hard pressed to meet its commitment without a boost – very speculative at this stage – growth. According to the latest available forecasts of Unedic (UI), the number of job seekers expected to grow by 214,000 this year – and so cheerfully exceed the symbolic threshold of 3 million unemployed registered at employment center Class A – and the number of jobs fall by 123,000 merchants payday advance low fees.

"The year 2013, however, should be better on the employment front, predicts the new tenant of the Elysee, by improving the international situation, but also with our first steps." … ….. 100,000 jobs for the future

Among them, is a classic: the "social treatment" of unemployment. In other words, subsidized jobs. The next few weeks, 100,000 "jobs of the future" must be created in neighborhoods (50,000 more will follow on the remainder of the quinquennium). This is a version of "makeover" of jobs for young Martine Aubry: odd jobs for five years in associations or local authorities, publicly funded.

Francois Hollande also intends to create 500,000 contracts generation during his tenure. The idea, intellectually attractive but criticized for its windfall, is to link the hiring of a youth to remain in the employment of a senior until he can retire at full rate, both jobs are exempt from charges.  

The president-elect has also promised to strengthen the means to improve employment center to help the unemployed and plan to launch a green renovation of housing could create tens of thousands of jobs.

Finally, to stop the "stock layoffs," he intends to make it more expensive, give employees new ways to challenge them in court and force the relocation of businesses dedicated to repaying public aid.

]]> http://wtwoodsoncrew.org/a-year-to-reverse-the-unemployment-curve/feed/ 0 http://wtwoodsoncrew.org/sarkozy-netherlands-programs-to-test/ http://wtwoodsoncrew.org/sarkozy-netherlands-programs-to-test/#comments Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:44:11 +0000 admin http://wtwoodsoncrew.org/sarkozy-netherlands-programs-to-test/  

Note: Nicolas Sarkozy aims to balance public finances in 2016, Francois Hollande in 2017.

Roman Lucazeau, Chargé de Mission in the Business Institute, details the mechanisms at work in the test programs.

THE FIGARO.FR. – Why submit programs of candidates for this test?

Roman Lucazeau. – Although, compared to the 2007 presidential campaign, the programs of the two main candidates are more accurate, they still gray areas and are based on slightly different economic scenarios. This makes comparison difficult. So we tried to apply the same economic variables: growth rate, inflation, unemployment rate, by 2017. We also wanted to discover what happened to the public finances if the programs were implemented with, notably, lower growth than that provided by the candidates, for example, that France has known, on average, over the past decade.

Originally, this type of exercise is applied by the financial authorities to banks. These are subject to economic scenarios degraded to assess their strength in case of economic crisis. We use a similar method to test the ability of candidates to achieve their stated goal (zero deficit in 2016 for Nicolas Sarkozy in 2017 for Francis Holland).

But in a crisis, a candidate can always abandon its initial program

.

Absolutely. We test the strength of their roadmap, as defined during the election campaign, in a worse position than they anticipate. We evaluate today's promises and do not prejudge the future president of the reactions in case of contingencies.

How does this model?

We leave the bases nominee programs (eg growth rate, the level of taxes and public spending …) and against which they built their proposals. These assumptions are public and have been developed by their campaign teams. We determine how the deficit and debt change if we change some parameters on the basis of data and public reporting, the INSEE, the Court of Auditors and of Bercy. The details of our methodology is available on our website.  

How do you ensure objectivity of your approach?

We submitted the candidates' platforms to the same constraints: same inflation, even growth, even drift government spending or health insurance, etc.. The differences between results are explained by the differences between the programs themselves. Debt strategy of the two candidates based on both on growth, tax increases and budget savings. But Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande do not intend to use these levers to the same extent. Their programs do not react the same way a change of parameters.

The specter of drought away with the recent rains. But the winter freeze damage to crops are more than expected as and as spring advances. "That damage is exceptionally large, Xavier Beulin regrets, FNSEA President. In total 600,000 hectares of wheat, canola and barley were destroyed by the cold wave of February. "

In a letter to the Minister of Agriculture, FNSEA asks Bruno Le Maire to trigger the emergency procedure in Europe. It provides "the inclusion of force majeure" as "a serious natural disaster affecting a major agricultural area of ​​operation", so that farmers continue to receive their aid.

The green light from Brussels

Payment of these grants is linked to European compliance by the operator of a number of criteria, including stick to crop type notified in advance. This "rotation" is defined in the declaration CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) that meet the farmers every year in May for the crops they will do next season. These conditions are required to receive direct payments. Other aid, indirect, are related to the implementation of certain agri-environmental standards guaranteed unsecured personal loan. The leaders of the FNSEA have already given the green light from Brussels. They now expect the French transposition.

Activation of this procedure will allow farmers, especially those in the north-eastern France, the winter freeze victims, not to be penalized twice: not only by the lower yield of spring planting, but also by a reduction in aid European sanctioning non-compliance of the crop rotation in their declaration CAP. Finally, the recognition of this act of God must allow an advance on anticipated aid on October 16, instead of early December.

Private insurance side, the amount of compensation that will be paid, should amount to some 70 million euros. But all farmers are far from having signed a contract to hedge. Finally, a new wave of freezing took place last week but it has affected this time departments of the central region, penalizing the orchards and vineyards.

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It is not yet the big night for the property market but the trend reversal is confirmed. After the Chamber of Notaries of Paris-Ile de France is now the turn of the network of estate agents Century 21 noted a decline in house prices in Paris, as in the rest of France in 2011. Late last year, the former property prices had already declined in the Paris region but not yet in the capital.

But prices fell relatively little, yet after record highs in recent years. Thus, between the second half of 2011 and first quarter 2012, the average price per square meter of goods sold by Century 21 declined only 2.1% in 2578 euros/m2 average in France. The movement is even more tenuous in Paris, with a fall in prices of only 0.1%. A figure in line with the finding of the Chamber of Notaries of Paris-Ile de France which reported a decline in late March from 0.36% in house prices in Paris three months 8340 euros per meter square on average between November and January.

However, the number of home transactions performed by the network of estate agents Century 21 in France fell by 11.4% between the first quarters 2011 and 2012. This drop is even higher in Ile-de-France (-15.5%) and Paris (-17.4%). And for all of 2012, the president of Century 21 Laurent Vimont expects a decline over one year from 15% to 20% for the entire market of home transactions.

The expert, however, expected a price maintenance the same as in 2011. "You leave the frenzy and we return to reason. But the decline is not sustainable because demand is strong, "says this actor's real estate market.

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Global consumption of wine is finding colors in 2011. It increases from 0.7% to 241.9 million hectoliters (hl). She stopped and started a downward cycle since 2007. "It seems that the worst is behind us. This does not mean that an immediate return to pre-crisis growth is confirmed, relativizes Federico Castellucci, Director General of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). In addition to unfavorable economic factors, changes in consumption patterns continue to see recovery in the major producing countries, such as the EU. "Indeed, European consumers now favor quality over quantity. This, however, are the Americans and Chinese who support sales.

47.4 liters per capita in France

In detail, the world's largest market, that is to say the EU wine consumption fell by nearly one million hectoliters last year, mainly due to degradation economic conditions in countries of this area and a change in customer behavior. Italian consumption shows a sharp decline of around 1.6 million hl (- 6.3%), as Spain and Britain, but to a lesser extent. Germany, meanwhile, has stagnated.

Only exception in this bleak picture: French consumption increases significantly (3.5%), almost 30 million hl. This increase is explained by massive purchases of wine last year on French territory by foreign tourists. But the OIV can not be quantified precisely. Single index, consumption rises officially in France to 47.4 liters per capita. Net purchases of tourism, it would be some 40 liters per person, a level close to that of Italy to 37.4 liters.

French cognac and champagne appreciated

For their part, the United States, second world market volume, estimated to have grown 0.9 hl (nearly triple the 2009 and 2010) and 28.5 Mhl approach. Americans like French cognac and champagne. Example: for the Charente house Courvoisier, "remains our largest market outside the U.S. where we sell 48.5 million bottles of brandy a year, or nearly 30% of our annual exports," said its president, Patrick Pinet.

China also exports have increased with the increasing popularity of a population easier for wine products. "Since 2001, exports of French wine and spirits increased by 3700%, three quarters of which relate to the claret and brandy," says Nicolas Ozanam, Delegate General for CFTS (Federations of exports of wines and spirits).

Result, world trade in wine in 2011 reached over $ 103.5 million hl, up 7.9%.

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Too complicated and too expensive to manufacture. Boeing does not veil the face. The B787 Dreamliner, the first of which came with three years late to All Nippon Airways (ANA) in late September 2011, a program remains at risk and lost.

The device, which has passed through many vicissitudes since its launch, has new technical problems. A "calibration problem between structural elements" of the rear fuselage was discovered during tests carried out in factories in Seattle. Jim Albaugh, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), admitted that the first 55 Dreamliners already built might be affected by this defect. The Boeing launched an inspection campaign and hopes to address this problem in the "ten to fifteen days." Meanwhile, industrial production ramp-up "is difficult," notes one observer. Boeing has delivered five devices from late September to ANA. Under these conditions, managing to deliver fifteen more by the end of March, as the company hoped the Japanese, is an impossible mission.

Suddenly, the group announced last weekend a radical decision afresh at the industrialization of the B 787 and review its relations with its 50 partners from rank 1 to the successful ramp-up and exit the program losses .

Permutation of managers

"There is no magic formula to improve productivity on these planes. That will come from simplification of production, employment under companions and a review of the supply chain, partner by partner, "said Pat Shanahan, general manager of the development of BCA paydayloan. Boeing is a savings of $ 1 billion. It has not been more forthcoming about how to allocate effort productivity, nor on the calendar.  

He specified, however, that the boss of the program changed. Scott Fancher, who arrived in 2008 to replace the B787 on track, gives way to Larry Loftis, the boss of Boeing 777 it replaces. The switch should allow Boeing to better prepare its "organization for the challenges ahead," said Jim Albaugh. Larry Loftis brings experience in production (lean manufacturing) tested on a mature program, and Scott Fencher, its achievements in the management of a new generation aircraft with Boeing which has made several breaks.

Technology first with the massive use of composite materials (50% against 1% for the B 747). Then outsourcing industry with 70% of manufacturing with major partners in the U.S., Europe and Japan against 21% for the B 777 and 16% for the B 767. Taken to extremes, this model inspired by the automobile industry has shown its limits for a subject as complex as an airplane. Boeing has had to overcome the difficulties encountered by these partners.

For months, the group is considering the future of the Boeing 777 entered service in 1995. His successor, or a modernized 777 B that would heavily loaded with composites have much to learn from failures and successes of the B 787.

]]> http://wtwoodsoncrew.org/boeing-needed-a-plan-b-to-save-787/feed/ 0 http://wtwoodsoncrew.org/the-butcher-of-london-star-dismissed/ http://wtwoodsoncrew.org/the-butcher-of-london-star-dismissed/#comments Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:04:11 +0000 admin http://wtwoodsoncrew.org/the-butcher-of-london-star-dismissed/  

Emotion in the small world gourmet London. The butcher star Selfridges was fired this week. Jack O'Shea is accused of selling illegally for two years from foie gras to a handful of happy few. Since 2009, chefs and gourmets introduced him well passed their orders, under the code name of "French net." His store is hosted within the Selfridges food hall.

Gold chain, under pressure from animal welfare leagues, had banned the sale of this pride of French cuisine. The former James Bond actor Roger Moore, in 2009 had even financed a poster on Oxford Street, opposite Selfridges, to denounce the cruelty of force-feeding practices.

Jack O'Shea, representing the eighth generation of a line of butchers in the Irish province of Tipperary, was caught selling illegal, two days before Christmas fast cash. Journalists jokingly filmed it with his clients on contraband trade. The penalty eventually fell. The employment contract of gourmet butcher ended Thursday, Selfridges arguing breaches of hygiene rules, according to The Independent.

Award winning professional awards by Jack O'Shea is expected to rebound. He is regarded in Britain as a leading specialist meat and already owns a famous restaurant in Brussels.

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