Chaos rules as France braced for huge new strike
Pastor Dale Morgan
Chaos rules as France braced for huge new strike*
BBC - Thousands of civil servants and students are expected to join
striking transport workers as France enters a second week of industrial
action.
Postal workers, teachers, air traffic controllers and hospital staff are
holding a 24-hour stoppage to protest against planned pay and job cuts.
Students are also upset over plans to grant universities more autonomy.
It could be the largest protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's
reform plans since he took power in May.
Meanwhile, transport workers are beginning the seventh day of an
indefinite strike against planned pension cuts. Their protests have
affected millions of commuters across France.
The government will not be able to budge on the principles
Francois Fillon
French PM
Strike fever hits France
France's workplace anger
Joint action plea
Eight unions have called on millions of public sector workers to join
the one-day strike.
The unions are hoping for strong participation as many employees oppose
government plans to not replace some civil servants as they retire.
STRIKERS' GRIPES
Teachers, civil servants oppose job cuts and want more pay
Newspaper distributors angry at planned restructuring
Transport workers on strike for a week over pension reforms
Students protest at changes they say could exclude poor
Students, some of whom have been blocking buildings at dozens of
campuses across France in the past week, are now protesting over plans
to allow universities more autonomy to find non-government funding.
Officially, the public sector protest is separate from the ongoing rail
dispute.
The transport workers' industrial action was triggered by plans to scrap
"special" pensions privileges enjoyed by 500,000 staff, mainly in the
rail and energy sectors, as well as by 1.1 million pensioners.
But many rail workers have been pushing for the two protest movements to
be merged under a common umbrella of low spending power, the BBC's
Alasdair Sandford in Paris says.
Tough times
On Monday the transport unions voted to extend the walkout, though the
number of strikers has reportedly been dropping since the strike began
last Tuesday.
'SPECIAL' PENSIONS SYSTEM
Benefits 1.6m workers, including 1.1m retirees
Applies in 16 sectors, of which rail and utilities employees make up
360,000 people
Account for 6% of total state pension payments
Shortfall costs state 5bn euros (£3.5bn; $6.9bn) a year
Some workers can retire on full pensions aged 50
Awarded to Paris Opera House workers in 1698 by Louis XIV
Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said the dispute was costing France
at least $440m (£215m) a day.
However, half of the country's high-speed TGV trains are expected to
operate on Tuesday, said national rail operator SNCF.
Eurostar trains between Paris and London have not been affected.
But commuter trains, metro and bus services in Paris are all expected to
be heavily reduced.
Despite the vote by transport unions to extend their strike, there has
been some movement towards negotiations.
Unions have agreed to attend negotiations with the state rail company
management on Wednesday.
Students in Aix-en-Provence - 19/11/2007
Some are upset over plans to grant universities more autonomy
The government has somewhat relaxed its earlier stance that it would not
enter talks unless strikers return to work.
On Monday Prime Minister Francois Fillon said rail traffic must
"progressively restart" for talks to take place.
But he remained firm on the government's commitment to overhaul the
French economy.
"The government will not be able to budge on the principles because it
has a mandate to move this reform forward," Mr Fillon said.
Opinion polls have so far suggested that there is broad support for Mr
Sarkozy, who says France can no longer afford to let some public sector
employees retire on a full pension as early as 50.