France warns of crippling strikes
The second general walkout by state employees in less than a month embarrassed the government as it hosted leaders from the world’s wealthiest nations in the Alpine town of Evian.
Demonstrations were planned in more than 100 French towns and cities to demand the government backs down from plans to overhaul France’s overburdened retirement system.
But with hardline unions now threatening long-term walkouts, concern mounted over the economic fallout.
“Everybody must know a massive strike has dramatic economic consequences,” government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said on France 2 television.
“The first victims would be the weakest and most fragile of our fellow citizens,” he said.
Major European airlines cancelled flights to try to limit the damage. Air France said it had scrapped 65% of its short-and medium-haul services yesterday, though it said long-haul flights, to destinations such as north America and Asia, would not be affected.
British Airways said it would likely cancel at least 90 out of 120 flights to or from France, while Germany’s Lufthansa cancelled 97 flights out of 138.
Employees of the national railway got a head start, walking off the job on Monday evening. About one train out of three was running in France, though Eurostar service to Britain was expected to operate at near-normal levels.
The hardline CGT unionurged Paris public transport workers to start striking late on Monday, while air traffic controllers joined in yesterday.
Teachers, tax agents and postal employees were also on strike.
France’s minister for regional affairs, Patrick Devedjian, accused the CGT union of “wanting to paralyse the country to roll back the government simply out of principle”.
His comments followed a threat by CGT chief Bernard Thibault to extend the walkouts beyond Tuesday.
“If employees decide, we will have strikes, demonstrations, rallies, the whole range of union initiatives, as long as needed,” he said on Monday.
The CGT and other unions are pressing for new negotiations on how to reform the pension system.
Unions oppose a government reform plan that would increase the number of years employees must work to receive full retirement benefits.
The plan would force public sector employees to work 40 years to retire with full benefits, as the private sector currently does, instead of the present 37.5 years.
