The "three hours a day" is obviously an impressionistic account, but he reports having visited that factory more than once and spoken with its workers. And, as someone who's managed similar factories in other jurisdictions, he'd have some insight about what 'tempo' of production is necessary for profitable operation.
So it's not fair to accuse him of imagining this based solely on cultural stereotypes. He has expertise beyond that, both in the industry and the specific factory; that's why the French government approached him.
Also, your OECD averages for France don't tell us anything about how a single troubled factory works. Many French businesses are doing fine, but they aren't looking for a foreign-buyer rescue. The Titan CEO is speaking of one, specific troubled factory, with a specific (likely unfireable) workforce. Its work environment might be among the worst France's traditions, unions, and political influences has to offer. As thin as the anecdote in the CEO's letter is, it's still stronger than an argument based on national averages that include healthy businesses.
The third paragraph is talking about that factory, but he's clearly generalizing to French workers. He uses the word "French" three times in four short sentences.
It can be stretched to read that way, but I believe the context makes it clear that he is primarily speaking about those he observed and spoke to in that factory.
For example, the last sentence phrase "I told this to the French union workers to their faces" is clearly referring to specific workers at a specific site, not all French workers (or even French union workers) everywhere.
He does emphasize the descriptor 'French', but that seems both to rub a little salt in the wound of the national official he's responding to, and perhaps to contrast those he's describing with non-French workers at the same factory, or with workers in similar tire factories outside France. It isn't evidence the author has the same judgement of all French workers, even though that expansive interpretation is an easier strawman to knock down.
So it's not fair to accuse him of imagining this based solely on cultural stereotypes. He has expertise beyond that, both in the industry and the specific factory; that's why the French government approached him.
Also, your OECD averages for France don't tell us anything about how a single troubled factory works. Many French businesses are doing fine, but they aren't looking for a foreign-buyer rescue. The Titan CEO is speaking of one, specific troubled factory, with a specific (likely unfireable) workforce. Its work environment might be among the worst France's traditions, unions, and political influences has to offer. As thin as the anecdote in the CEO's letter is, it's still stronger than an argument based on national averages that include healthy businesses.