A spate of "bossnappings" by French workers has put President Nicolas Sarkozy in a tight spot, caught between the need to enforce the law and the risk of exacerbating unrest during the economic downturn.
法國勞工近來發動連串「綁架老闆」行動，讓薩科茲總統處境艱難，他在必須執行法律，以及避免在經濟不景氣時刺激社會動亂之間面臨兩難。
Managers have been held hostage at factories for up to 24 hours by staff angry about layoff plans in four separate incidents since March.
自今年3月起，法國已發生4起工廠經理遭挾持長達24小時的事件，起因都是員工對解僱計畫感到憤怒。
Sarkozy now faces a dilemma in how to handle similar incidents. Employers’ groups and politicians from centre-right camp say such acts are unacceptable.
薩科茲正面臨該如何處理類似狀況的難題。雇主組織及中間偏右陣營的政治人物都說無法接受這種（綁架老闆的）行為。
But labour unions and the left-wing opposition say workers facing layoffs in a context of recession and booming unemployment are desperate, so these acts are understandable.
但工會組織及左派反對陣營卻說，在經濟衰退、失業率高升的情況下，面臨解僱的勞工是鋌而走險，這麼做情有可原。
The risk of sending in the riot police when the next hostage-taking occurs is that, far from discouraging such acts, it could cause them to proliferate.
當下一次再發生工廠綁架人質事件時，派出鎮暴警察的風險在於，警察非但無法阻止類似事件，甚至可能導致綁架老闆的事件激增。
Turning a blind eye carries risks as well. All four plants where bossnappings have occurred are foreign-owned, and the head of the CGPME employers’ group, which represents small and medium businesses, said foreign investors could be put off France.
但坐視不理也同樣有風險。上述4家發生綁架老闆事件的工廠都是外商公司，代表中小企業的CGPME雇主組織領袖表示，外國投資人可能會被法國嚇跑。
新聞辭典
in a tight spot：也可用in a tough spot/corner：指處於困境，如If there is a shortage of fuel, everyone who drives to work will be in a tight spot.（假如燃料短缺，所有得開車去上班的人就麻煩了。）
layoff：名詞，或寫成lay-off，指遭到（臨時）解僱，或指停工、停止活動，如The recent economic crisis has led to massive layoffs.（最近的經濟危機導致員工遭到解僱。）
proliferate：動詞，正式用語，指突然激增或擴散，如Small businesses have proliferated in the last ten years.（過去十年來小型企業的數量大量增加。）名詞則為proliferation。
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