GEC pay protest

A thousand workers at the GEC-Alsthom plants at Belfort and Bourogne in eastern France downed tools for one hour to press pay claims, a management official said.

Pay negotiations are due to start this week. A dispute over pay claims last year led to a strike at the plants in November.

GEC-Alsthom is a joint venture linking France's Alcatel Alsthom and Britain's General Electric (GEC).

They each own 50 per cent.