Laid off workers at Nortel in France threaten to burn down the factories

First the bosses were taken hostage. Now, workers facing layoffs in France have threatened — twice this week — to blow up their factories unless they receive more severance pay. Although the threats have so far turned out to be less than serious, the theatrics are increasing the level of labor tension as the economy shrinks.Workers at a Nortel Networks research center that is being closed in Châteaufort, near Paris, said on Tuesday that they were prepared to detonate gas canisters around the building. But once government and company officials agreed to talk, the strikers acknowledged Wednesday that it was a hoax. The Nortel workers took their cue from an incident that began Sunday at a factory owned by New Fabris, a failed auto parts maker in Châtellerault, about 165 miles southwest of Paris. Workers have threatened to destroy their plant and equipment — also by detonating gas canisters — if the carmakers Renault and PSA Peugeot Citröen did not agree by the end of the month to pay each employee 30,000 euros ($42,000) in additional severance. The automakers argue that they have no legal obligation to New Fabris because they were clients, not owners