Strikes hit transport in London and France
French unions staged a nationwide walkout over plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62, cutting service on trains, planes, buses and subways.
London Underground workers, unhappy about job cuts, closed much of the Tube system – the first in a series of 24-hour strikes planned over the coming months.
The strikes came as European Union finance ministers meeting in Brussels agreed to create new financial institutions in hopes of preventing a repeat of the government debt crisis that nearly left Greece bankrupt and brought the European banking system to its knees.
The union’s 27 finance ministers failed to find common ground, however, on the introduction of a levy on banks or on a new tax on financial trading.
It was a bad day for many commuters. “I’m just getting tired of this because this is not the first time,” said Henda Fersi, a passenger at the Part-Dieu train station in Lyon in southeast France. “I understand the strikers’ point of view but, still, they put us in a difficult situation and we’re penalised.”
In France, some post offices shut down, schools were hamstrung and public hospitals were hit. The strike also blocked the Atlantic port at Saint-Nazaire, including vessels that feed into a nearby Total refinery.
Civil aviation authorities asked airlines to cancel a quarter of their flights at Paris’s airports. Only two out of every five of France’s famed high-speed trains ran during the strike, which began on Monday evening and ended last night.
Thousands gathered in Marseille, Lyon, Paris and other cities for marches. In Paris, the crowd marched to drum beats, with many carrying balloons. The Interior Ministry said 450,000 people were demonstrating throughout France.
Unions hope to mobilise a two million street protesters at more than 200 demonstrations across France.
The strike coincides with the start of debate in parliament over a plan to overhaul the money-losing pension system so it will break-even in 2018. The government insists the reform is essential as people are living longer, and it has urged everyone to show “courage” as it tries to chip away at the huge national debt.
The French retirement age of 60 is already among the lowest in Europe. In contrast, neighbouring Germany has decided to bump the retirement age from 65 to 67 and the US is gradually raising the retirement age to 67.
But unions say the French government is attacking one of the country’s most cherished social protections.
“If we need money… we know where to find it,” said Guy Gamet, a representative of the Workers Force union marching in Lyon. “When it was necessary to bail out the banks not so long ago, we knew where to find the money.”
The thousands of London maintenance workers, drivers and station staff who walked out say job cuts will hurt service and safety. With the Tube shut, buses had to take on extra loads, while road traffic was heavy and pavements were teeming with walkers and bikers.
“The bus system has been a mess today, but I got here,” said Anita Prazmowska of South London.
The action in France and Britain appeared a precursor to more discontent elsewhere in Europe. A general strike was planned in Spain for September 29 over labour market reforms, and in the Czech Republic, a massive protest against proposed austerity measures, including 10% salary cuts for state employees, was set for September 21.
Meanwhile, Sarkozy has become the latest world leader to fall victim to “Google bombing”, with his Facebook page now associated with the French term for “a***hole”.
Internet pranksters set up a series of links tied to the term trou du cul to his profile, confusing Google’s search motor into making the site its top result for anyone hunting for the phrase.
Former British prime minister Tony Blair’s official website was linked to the word “liar” and former US president George W Bush’s to “miserable failure” and worse.
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