Strikes in Paris and London presage more protests
Published: September 7, 2010 5:37 PM
PARIS - French strikers disrupted trains and planes, hospitals and mail delivery yesterday amid massive street protests over plans to raise the retirement age. Across the English Channel, London subway workers unhappy with staff cuts walked off the job.
The protests look like the prelude to a season of strikes across Europe, as indebted governments cut costs and chip away at some cherished but costly benefits that underpin the European good life - a scaling-back process that has gained urgency with Greece's $140-billion bailout.
In France, where people poured into the streets in 220 cities, setting off flares and beating drums, a banner in the southern port city of Marseille called for Europe-wide solidarity: "Let's Refuse Austerity Plans!" The Interior Ministry said more than 1.1 million people demonstrated throughout France.
Some commuters were annoyed by the disruptions - even in strike-inured France. "I'm just getting tired of this because this is not the first time," said HendaFersi, a passenger at a train station in Lyon. "I understand the strikers' point of view but, still, they put us in a difficult situation and we're penalized."
French protesters are angry about the government's plan to do away with the near-sacred promise of retirement at 60, forcing people to work until 62 because they are living longer. The goal is to bring the money-draining pension system back into the black by 2018.
As debate on the subject opened in parliament, Labor Minister Eric Woerth said the plan was one "of courage and reason" and that it is the "duty of the state" to save the pension system. Prime Minister François Fillon reminded the French that it could be worse: In nearly all European countries, the current debate is over raising the retirement age to 67 or 68, he said. Germany has decided to bump the retirement age from 65 to 67, for example, and the U.S. Social Security system is gradually raising the retirement age to 67.
In London, Underground workers unhappy about job cuts closed much of the city's subway system - the first in a series of 24-hour strikes planned to go through the fall. The thousands of London maintenance workers, drivers and station staff who walked out say the cuts will hurt service and safety.
A general strike was planned in Spain for Sept. 29 over labor market reforms, and in the Czech Republic, a massive protest against proposed austerity measures, including 10 percent salary cuts for state employees, was set for Sept. 21. - AP
Strikes paralyze Paris transport
PARIS, France (CNN) -- France's public transportation network came to a halt Thursday as public sector workers staged a series of strikes in what is seen as the first big test for President Nicolas Sarkozy's government.
Subways, buses and trains were all out of service.
Subways, buses, and regional trains were all out of service, leading to traffic jams as commuters used their cars to get to work. Airlines were operating as usual, but some flights were delayed because employees were having trouble getting to work.
Many Parisians took advantage of the capital's free bicycle program. Others hopped on scooters or strapped on Rollerblades, and some workers simply took the day off altogether.
The walkout began Wednesday night and was expected to last 24 hours, but the backlog of services could mean the effects of the strike last much longer.
There are fears it could impact the thousands of rugby fans heading to Paris for Saturday's World Cup final between England and South Africa.
Most international train services were still running, however. About 80 percent of Eurostar train services between Paris and London were operating Thursday, as were about 60 percent of Thalys high-speed trains between Paris and Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne.
In addition to the transport sector, power, gas, and some postal workers were also on strike.
The labor action is a response to Sarkozy's pension reform plans, which formed a large part of his election campaign. Because he was elected by a large majority, Sarkozy feels he has a mandate to stand firm in the face of the strikes.
"In France, we cannot have anymore a face-off between the state and the street," said economist Eloi Laurent. "Whatever the temptation of the government is, the government has to find a new way to deal with that. I think that (Sarkozy's) convinced of that."
Previous attempts to reform the pension plans have failed. In 1995, Prime Minister Alain Juppe backed down after three weeks of strikes in response to his efforts.
This time, however, the government has greater public support, and it is focusing its reforms on special pension plans which allow some workers -- mostly train drivers -- to retire as early as age 50.
About 1.5 million French workers qualify for this plan.
Strikes in France and Paris Likely to Continue
Major fuel shortages, delayed or canceled flights and trains, strikers creating blockades and police forcibly breaking them down: It's been a dizzying and chaotic past few weeks in France-- and nationwide strike days against a hike to the official retirement age are expected to resume next week.
The French government, which is planning to sign legislation next week that will increase the age at which workers can get partial retirement benefits from 60 to 62 and will raise the age for full benefits from 65 to 67, is at loggerheads with unions and workers. Neither side seems in any mood to go back to the table for talks. The central-right wing government led by President Nicolas Sarkozy insists the reforms-- part of "austerity" measures that have also been taken up in other countries across Western Europe in the wake of the global recession-- are necessary to ensure the system won't buckle under the weight of major deficit. The government has also accused strikers of sabotaging the economy and transport infrastructures.
Meanwhile, opponents to the reform-- hovering at around 70% of the French population-- are angrily protesting the legislation as an unfair rollback to hard-earned rights, and arguing that the most disadvantaged workers, including physical laborers or those in the lowest income brackets, will carry most of the extra burden. Opposition political leaders from the Socialist and other parties are accusing the government of staging a "coup" by asking senators to pass or reject suggested amendments to the legislation with one vote instead of voting on them separately. Despite likely passage of the law next week, unions are calling for new nationwide strike action on at least two days, according to news reports: October 28th and November 6th. National rail, aviation and public transport may once again be affected by the strikes on these days, and rolling strikes at oil refineries across the country continue to put pressure on road and air transport. At this stage flights to and from Paris appear to be running normally, but it's probably still a good idea to check the status of your scheduled flight.
Rail traffic in France and Paris is almost back to normal on Friday. National railway company SNCF reports on its website that around 80% of high-speed TGV trains will be running normally on Tuesday. Eurostartrains, meanwhile, are operating normally. A majority of Thalys trains are running.
In Paris, metro and commuter (RER) trains are running normally as this goes to press. Check back in the days to come for an update on the strikes and the transport situation in Paris. And please share your experiences of the strikes below by responding to the poll and/or telling your story in the comment field.
France: Strike disruption less than expected
PARIS, France (CNN) -- A day of strikes dubbed "Black Thursday" in France looked more like "Gray Thursday," with officials reporting a mixed impact across the country.
Union officials said 2.5 million people demonstrated across the country, while the Ministry of the Interior put the number at one million. No arrests or violence were reported, Paris police said.
In Paris, all but three lines of the Metro subway system were operating Thursday, the RATP transport authority said. Buses and trains were operating normally with only slight disruptions, the authority said.
Suburban trains lines into and around Paris were badly hit. At best, only one in five was operating Thursday, operator RER said.
Public transportation workers and other civil servants planned the 36-hour strike over a range of concerns spurred by the world economic crisis.
Specifically, workers are anxious about a range of problems, including low salaries, poor buying power and job insecurity. Their collective strike action challenges the way the French government has handled the economic crisis.
Unions complain that the government has spent billions to bail out banks and the auto industry while allowing little of that money to filter down to workers.
Students, teachers and government workers were striking alongside transportation employees.
Under a law introduced last year, schools are required to provide a "minimum service" to ensure that children with nowhere else to go during a strike may still be able to go to school. The law doesn't require that classes take place -- only that caretakers are provided.
Paris municipal authorities said it was difficult for them to ensure a minimum service Thursday because they were not given enough notice for the strike.
City officials said a total of 90,000 children in the capital would be affected in some way.
The strike began at 8 p.m. (2 p.m. ET) Wednesday and is to end at 8 a.m. (2 a.m. ET) Friday. Union officials plan to meet Monday to consider future strikes, they said.
Hospital and postal workers, bank staffers, air traffic controllers and auto workers also walked off the job.
Air France said it was operating 100 percent of its long-haul flights. In Paris. the airline said it suspended 30 percent of its short- and medium-haul flights at Orly airport and 10 percent at Charles de Gaulle as a precaution during the strike.
The national state-owned railway SNCF said traffic was normal on trains from Paris to other European capitals such as London and Zurich. It said the national high-speed TGV trains were running normally in eastern France, with traffic at 50 percent to 80 percent of normal levels in other parts of the country.
1