FRANCE: Protestors take to the streets and commuters struggle to cope as transport strike tests France's Sarkozy

Record ID: 1531602

  • Title: FRANCE: Protestors take to the streets and commuters struggle to cope as transport strike tests France's Sarkozy
  • Date: 18th October 2007
  • Summary: EXTERIOR OF AIRPORT CHARLES DE GAULLE PASSENGERS ARRIVING AT AIRPORT GATE SCREEN ANNOUNCING STRIKE PASSENGERS WAITING FOR TAXIS
  • Embargoed: 2nd November 2007 15:58
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVADLW3HFS3RP1X92708YS0OTG2L
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: French commuters faced travel chaos on Thursday (October 18) after transport workers went on strike over plans to scrap their pension privileges, handing President Nicolas Sarkozy a first major challenge to his reforms.
    Unions called the 24-hour strike from late on Wednesday in an attempt to force concessions from the government, which plans to scrap privileges that allow a minority of public sector workers to retire earlier than their peers.
    While demonstrating on a Paris street, the president of the CGT Union, Bernard Thibault, called for real negotiations to start.
    "I think that the importance of the participation at the strike and at the demonstration today confirm the diagnosis and the message given by all the unions to the government. What we are waiting for after this day of strikes is to start rounds of real negotiation."
    Stranded commuters, many who have taken to the city's recently introduced rental bike scheme, struggled to reach their destinations.
    Radio stations reported heavy traffic on the roads coming into Paris, the "Vel'lib" city bikes newly introduced by the city hall were heavily in demand and an intrepid few were seen weaving in and out of Paris traffic on rollerblades.
    The SNCF state rail network said only a fraction of trains would run, while bus and tram services faced disruption in 27 major cities over the pensions row, and a law forcing transport staff to provide a minimum service during strikes from January.
    The Paris transport authority RATP said the situation was a little better than expected with a reduced service operating on most lines, but only one in 10 buses running.
    Train stations normally gearing up for the early morning rush hour were nearly deserted on Thursday and radio stations carried regular updates on the few lines operating.
    Airlines could also be affected if air traffic controllers were unable to get to work, authorities said, but it was business as usual at the Charles de Gaulle Airport in the early hours and most cross-Channel Eurostar trains were due to run as usual.
    Striking gas and power utility staff, who would also be subject to the new pension rules, cut 6,000 megawatts (MW) or about 9.4 percent of production capacity at EDF nuclear plants from Wednesday night, the CGT union said on Thursday.
    The government wants to put employees paying into the so-called "special regime" pension schemes on an equal footing with civil servants and private sector workers, increasing their contribution period from
    5 years to 40 years.
    Sarkozy vowed to phase out the special regimes during his election campaign this year and has offered talks on how best to do that while refusing to back down on the principle.
    Other unions have hinted the protests could extend beyond Thursday.
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