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Strike Plans Fizzle in France
Associated Press
France
December 12, 2007
Planned transport strikes in France fizzled Wednesday because a leading labor union backtracked from an earlier announcement of protests against the government's pension reform proposals.
Paris commuter traffic was operating mostly normally Wednesday, the RATP network said. The CGT labor union had originally called a full-out strike, then later urged less disruptive, briefer and more localized protests -- such as handing out union pamphlets.
A strike scheduled for Thursday on the national rail network was canceled, the CGT said. With train employees split over how to proceed, several other unions threatened actions next week.
Before the plans fell through, the strike was set to be the third rail and transport strike of the season over President Nicolas Sarkozy's pension reforms.
When the second such walkout this autumn ended last month, negotiations began between labor unions and the government over Sarkozy's plan to end special retirement privileges for 500,000 train drivers and other state employees. The nine-day walkout in November severely disrupted rail service nationwide.
The government says the retirement reform is essential for modernizing the economy and saving the indebted pension system. Critics fear it will lead to the end of coveted French labor protections.
Under the proposed plan, rail workers and others will have to work for 40 years to qualify for full pensions, compared with 37.5 years now.
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