France To Curb Bonuses As Public Outrage Grows

The political firestorm was so great that even the head of the main employer's federation, Medef, urged Morin to hand back his check. Medef chief Laurence Parisot is treading a political tightrope, trying to diffuse public anger while also defending the executives she represents.

Sarkozy appears to have lost patience with Medef, which he asked to come up with new guidance on executive pay.

Parisot told a parliamentary hearing that she doesn't have the power "nor the desire to impose anything on company bosses."

"I have the impression that there was a little astonishment and disappointment" about Medef's response, Jean Arthuis, head of the finance committee at the French Senate, told The Associated Press.

The government is also working on legal steps to force companies to share more of their profits with workers.

In other labor unrest, French workers released a manager of U.S. manufacturer 3M on Thursday after holding him hostage for two days in a labor dispute over layoffs.

Workers at a 3M factory in Pithiviers, south of Paris, locked manager Luc Rousselet in an office Tuesday, demanding better severance packages for those laid off and better conditions for those who keep their jobs.