- Join the France 24 community here
- Log in
Latest update: 19/10/2010
- France - Retirement - strike
Who's on strike in France?
Numerous industry sectors have joined the growing strikes against French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s unpopular pension reforms. Here are the sectors causing the most disruption.
By FRANCE 24 (text)
Hauliers have been active for several days, using vans to slow traffic on motorways around Paris and cities like Lille, Rennes and Lyon.
Unions have called on drivers to block busy roundabouts, oil refineries and major distribution centres.
Security van drivers, vital for keeping cash point machines stocked up, have signalled that they will also join the strikes.
Twelve French Oil refineries have been hit since Monday, according to the CFDT union. Petrol distribution centres across the country, especially at northern ports, are subject to strikes and blockades by lorry drivers.
Many filling stations are closing as stocks dry up, with diesel in particular running short, especially in Paris and Nantes.
Some 260 secondary schools offered a “reduced service” on Monday, expected to continue Tuesday. Police had to step in after rioting students went on the rampage, some setting fire to cars, in Nanterre and Lyon.
A school in Le Mans, in north-western France, burned down in the early hours of Tuesday after an apparent arson attack, but it was unclear whether it was linked to the protests.
Public transport across France remains extremely affected, although there is a minimum service running on most lines. In Paris, the metro, tram and bus services are almost normal while some RER lines (covering the greater Paris area) are running a reduced service. The RER B line serving the main Paris airports of Charles de Gaulle and Orly has been particularly hit.
Public transport is also affected in Lyon and Toulouse. Across France, TGV and inter city trains are running a severely reduced service while international train services (Eurostar and Thalys) are unaffected.
Airports are affected as air traffic controllers strike, with mostly short-haul domestic and European services affected, although long-haul international are mostly continuing as usual.Strike action for airport staff will continue on Wednesday.
See FRANCE 24’s travellers' survival guide for more detailed information.
Related Content
‘Darth Vader’ demands free land from Ukrainian government
Browse all editions
FRANCE 24 PARTNERS
Comments (11)
Bravo workers union
TheGovernment should listen to the popular demands of the policy consumers(the workers)if it is democratic. Laws are made for people not animals.
free french
and this is how it is done usa.
god bless the french human beings and the freedom they protect for us all.
pl
france strike
France is doing the right thing. The workers there understand the importance of unity. French workers have the correct attitude in their stuggele to provide their families with an income and benefits that is fair and equitable to labor and management.Management will cut you to the bone if they go unchecked, that is why unions were put together, because of managements past practices. French people know so much more than Americans when it comes to solidarity and that there is strenght in numbers. How so, because workers in America are never seen doing strikes of that magnitude. Americans would rather see someone go down to their level instead of supporting them so that they could be b rought up.American white collar workers think they are immune to lay offs and cut backs. They have known since 1980 that is no longer true and it really intensified after 2000. Reagan,1980 and Bush 2000 and running. The French and many other countries are intuned to world news and events and politics in their countries than we Americans. I am a proud American so think what you will, the love it or leave mentality is a big part of our problem, you and I have the freedom of speech and the right to sane discussion rather than bowing up and trying to impress your buddies by wrapping yourself in the flag, you know, becoming a real patriot for a couple of days and going back to doing something that is unamerican. If the shoe fits, wear it. Another great American!!!!!!!!
Visiting from the USA...
I'm scheduled to fly into CDG from the USA in the early part of November. I have some business to attend to in France in the Vosges. However, with the strikes and disruptions, I may have to cancel my trip or change my flight to arrive in Stuttgart instead. There I can rent a car and get gasoline--a full tank will get me into and out of France. If I could I would avoid France altogether.
FRENCH STRIKE
The article asks who's on strike but I didn't see where they pointed to WHO were these people burning cars and looting stores and shutting down refineries and burning schools. Could it be government workers? Could it be Union thugs? Just asking.
Not the immigrants this time
The troble is enermus and there is no single immigrant to blame this time...
Questions for the protesters:
Where will you get the money to pay for the pensions?
Also, how many people have and will die because slowed or blocked traffic prevents them from getting to a hospital in time to save them?
Strike
Thank you, France, Greece, and England for predicting the future of the USA. We'll be watching you all and hoping we can climb out of the massive hole our own government has created without collapsing into a state of poverty and anarchy.
The unions must realize there isn't enough money in the world to fulfill all the promises made - even those written in ink or etched in stone.
We all have a choice: Let our irresponsible governments service debt or continue to run it up to the point of insolvency. It's as simple as that. The latter will be much more painful!
Manifestation à Pau
Today we joined the march in Pau. We walked close to the nurses from the hospital in Pau and the singing and music was woderful. To walk with all ages of people - with not sign of trouble or unrest - brought home to me why we live in France. Whilst we had great sympathy with the miners in the UK during the Thatcher years we only showed our support by offering food to some of the families affected. Today was awonderful atmosphere. Towards the end of the march two things were really emotional: to see the nurses kneeling in the street, and to see the young people with banners supporting their parents in the manifestation brought tears to my eyes.
Long live the solidarity!
Strike in France
The French strike because their pension-age will be lifted from 60 to 62. Everywhere in Europe people realise that people live longer and we cannot afford to keep unrealistic benifits to babyboomers who didnt work enough and didnt save enough for those benifits. If we keep it like it is they will live on the expense of the young. The sickening thing of those egoistic strikers is that they seem to think that there is an unlimited amount of money that the government can spend and that the money that is used to save the bank is SPEND money. No that money is not GIVEN but lend to the banks. And I would wonder how they would react if the banks were bankrupt and their savings were gone. There is obviously no solidarity between generations and no solidarty between Europeans. Where others have to work till 67, they are outraged for 62.
road travel
I hope to travel by road from le havre to royan this weekend. What is the possibility of getting petrol or other disruption to road travel?
Post new comment