J’ACCUSE BOSSES

CEOs all over the world yesterday got a grim reminder of what can happen when jobs are cut after a mob of hooligans besieged a taxi in Paris carrying France’s leading billionaire, Francois-Henri Pinault, holding him at bay for at least an hour.

Meanwhile, a second group of workers at a Caterpillar plant in Grenoble, France, “boss-napped” executives in protest of planned job cuts.

In the heart of Paris, protesters swamped a taxi carrying Pinault, blocking and heckling him before riot police arrived to clear an escape route for the shaken, 72-year-old tycoon who’s married to actress Salma Hayek.

Workers were demanding that Pinault — whose holdings include auction house Christie’s and luxury brands Gucci, Yves St. Laurent and Chateau Latour — drop his plan to fire 1,200 retail workers at two of his department stores, Fnac and Conforama.

Pinault’s holding company, Artemis SA, had no immediate comment.

Also yesterday, jeering workers stormed Caterpiller’s factory in Grenoble, a city in the French Alps, and captured four managers. Protesters said the kidnapped bosses would be held until the company agreed to drop its plan to fire 700 French workers at the factory. Caterpillar plans to fire 25,000 workers worldwide.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries or arrests.

The protests were the latest in a string of spats that have broken out in France in recent weeks as workers protest the French government’s response to the economic meltdown.

About a week ago, more than 3 million people took to the streets in protest.

Angry workers about to get laid off have been turning up the heat at several locations. About 1,000 workers set bonfires to tires at a plant owned by German auto-parts maker Continental AG, where 1,120 workers are expected to be let go.

And last week there were hostage incidents at Sony and 3M offices, where captured executives were humiliated before TV cameras and warned not to carry out any planned firings. At Sony, workers also demanded an increase in their pay severance. The officials were released after about 24 hours of captivity.

Authorities believe some protesters will attempt disruptions at the Group of 20 summit in London. The city is under tight security for the entourage of world leaders, including President Barack Obama who arrived yesterday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy also has threatened his own personal protest at the G-20, vowing to walk out unless he gets his way on key economic issues. Sarkozy wants stricter global controls over hedge funds, pay disclosures of traders and eased accounting rules that would soften the boom-and-bust cycles.

Sarkozy’s threat was labeled a “bombshell” by research analyst Philip Whyte at the Center for European Reform.

“If such a high-profile leader would walk out of the summit, it likely would be seen as very negative on the stock and bond markets,” he said. paul.tharp@nypost.com