French transport system returning to normal

Transport networks in France began returning to normal this morning, after striking workers ended a nine-day walkout protesting president Nicolas Sarkozy’s retirement reform plans.

Pockets of resistance remained, and restoring full service to the nationwide rail service and public transport in Paris and other cities was expected to take days.

In a victory for Sarkozy, the workers voted yesterday to end the strike after talks opened on his plan to end special retirement privileges for 500,000 train drivers and other state employees.

Mr Sarkozy is sticking by the reform itself, seen as an important and symbolic part of his broader plans for changing France, but the government is ready to discuss workers’ demands to modify its terms.

“The worst of the crisis is over,” Mr Sarkozy’s aide for social issues, Raymond Soubie, said today on Europe-1 radio.

He dismissed concerns about the high economic cost of the strike, saying it was nothing compared to “the amplitude of the reform” .

“The reform is on its way and will be achieved” after the talks, which start next week and should last about a month, he said.

Commuters and travellers welcomed the end of the strike.

Many Paris Metro trains were still packed – but much less so than earlier in the week, when mobs of commuters battled to get onto scarce trains.

Traffic was “disrupted but overall improving” on the subway system, though few lines were running at 100%, Paris transit authority RATP said. Buses were running at about 80%. Traffic on the high-speed TGV trains was returning to normal “progressively”, rail authority SNCF said.

The French government says the retirement reform is essential to modernising the economy, and saving the indebted pension system. Mr Sarkozy’s rivals, however, fear it spells the beginning of the end of the labour protections considered part of the French way of life.

Under the plan, rail workers and others will have to work for 40 years to qualify for full pensions compared to the current 37.5 years.

Mr Sarkozy faces other protest movements, from students to civil servants who have demanded talks over salary hikes before the end of the month.