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Planes Grounded as French Workers Strike

By Kim Housego

Newsday, April 3, 2003

Air traffic controllers, postal workers and other public employees brought much of France to a halt Thursday with a one-day strike over government plans to overhaul the pension system.

The nationwide walkout grounded many commercial flights and limited train service, forcing commuters in Paris to squeeze into packed subway cars or walk to work.

All major unions but one were participating in the strike, which officially started at 8 p.m. Wednesday but was not felt until Thursday morning.

National airline Air France said it canceled 55 percent of its short- and medium-haul flights within Europe. All long-haul flights to destinations such as Asia and the United States would be operating, the company said.

British Airways warned that up to 80 percent of its services to and from France might be canceled.

In Paris, one subway line was shut down, while others had greatly reduced service.

"I've had enough," said Josette Chapon, 44, waiting for a cab in central Paris. "I have been standing here for nearly half an hour. The unions really know how to take us hostage."

Many commuters stayed off public transport and drove to work instead, slowing the already clogged routes into Paris, Lyon and other major cities. Radio reports said it took 90 minutes to travel just 18 miles outside of Paris at the start of rush hour.

Other commuters clustered at bus stops, waiting impatiently for buses that came sporadically if at all.

More than 100 protest marches were planned. Thousands of demonstrators packed the Place de la Republique, a square in eastern Paris, before crossing the capital.

Bernard Thibault, the head of the Communist-affiliated CGT labor union, threatened more strikes if the government did not heed the warning.

"We have to resort to this type of protest when, despite our efforts, the government isn't listening to us," Thibault told Le Figaro newspaper.

The pension system needs a dramatic overall to avoid collapse within 20 years, and center-right Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has promised to carry out a reform.

Civil servants fear they will lose some of their advantages. Under the existing system, public employees generally work 37.5 years before being eligible for retirement, compared with 40 years in the private sector.