BRUSSELS, April 9 (Reuters) - Fiat (FIA.MI) employees in Brussels are holding managers hostage, according to a source at the Italian car maker, in the latest demonstration of worker anger in Europe at the prospect of job losses.
The source, who spoke to Reuters on Thursday on condition of anonymity, gave no details. Italian media, including the website of La Repubblica newspaper, said three managers were being held at the car maker's sales office in Belgium.
The employees took them hostage amid talks over Fiat's plans to lay off 24 out of a total staff of 90, ANSA news agency said.
An unidentified man who answered the telephone at the sales office in the Brussels suburb of Schaerbeek said personnel were preventing local management from leaving the premises and were in discussions with them.
"A number of the staff are blocking the door. The management can't leave. We are discussing the closure, the situation is calm," he said.
Neighbouring France has witnessed a rash of normally good-natured "boss-nappings" in which workers have taken managers hostage.
The last ended on Wednesday when workers released four managers they had held overnight when talks came to a head over the potential closure of an adhesive tape factory run by Britain's Scapa Group (SCPA.L) in southern France. (Reporting by Gianni Montani and Mark John; writing by Gilles Castonguay)
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSL996723720090409