And France is one of the most under-productive, inefficient, over-protected
industrialised nations around.

Countries with a history of "class distinction" between people at worker
level and people at management level always have industrial problems.
Australia is one of those and bringing in managers from UK, which is worse,
would exacerbate the problem.

"All these foreign operators need to learn that it may work overseas to
tell staff that ‘we pay the wages, you do what we say’, but that does not
go over well with us."
Perhaps there's a better way of phrasing that. That's the way it's supposed
to be! Perhaps what you mean is that a good management/staff relationship
is one in which they interact positively with each other - but in the end
the boss is still the boss.

Tony P