French airports and drivers hit by new strikes

Some airlines steered clear of France today, and police clashed with stone-throwing youths, as a new round of nationwide strikes and protests over a bill raising the retirement age to 62 kicked off.

Some airlines steered clear of France today, and police clashed with stone-throwing youths, as a new round of nationwide strikes and protests over a bill raising the retirement age to 62 kicked off.

Workers in sectors across the French economy joined in one-day strikes after a week of disruptions by protesting oil refinery workers, students and employees of the SNCF national railway operator.

More than 200 protests are planned around the country today.

It was the sixth national day of demonstrations over the planned pension reform since early September. Union leaders have vowed to keep up the pressure until the government scraps the unpopular plan, saying retirement at 60 is a fundamental social right that past generations fought hard to achieve.

President Nicolas Sarkozy says it must go through to save France’s generous but money-losing pension system. The protests in France come as countries across Europe are cutting spending and raising taxes to bring down record deficits and debts from the worst recession in 70 years.

The Paris airport authority warned on its website and in signs at the airports: “Strike on October 19. Serious difficulties expected in access to airports and air traffic.”

France’s DGAC civil aviation authority said up to half of flights out of Paris’ Orly airport would be scrapped, and 30% of flights out of other French airports, including the country’s largest, Charles de Gaulle, serving Paris, would be cancelled.

Most cancellations were expected on short and medium-haul domestic and inter-European flights.

The walkout by air traffic controllers was expected to last one day, with flights expected to return to normal on Wednesday.

Strikes by oil refinery workers have been continuing, sparking fuel shortages that forced at least 1,000 petrol stations to be closed. Others saw large crowds.

At an Esso station on the south-east edge of Paris, the line snaked along and some drivers stood with canisters to stock petrol in case of shortages.

Lorry drivers have joined the protest, running so-called “escargot” operations in which they drive at a snail’s pace on highways.

About 20 drivers blocked an oil depot in Nanterre west of Paris operated by oil giant Total, turning away fellow drivers coming to fill up with petrol. Police stood by but did not intervene.

“If they (the government) continue, we won’t have any choice (but to continue),” said Jorge Goncalves, a driver with the CFDT union blocking the Nanterre depot. “Today the government is stubborn. And how do you deal with stubborn people? You don’t let go.”

Students entered the fray last week, blockading high schools around the country and staging protests that have occasionally degenerated into clashes with police.

Across the country, 379 high schools were blocked or disrupted today to varying degrees – the highest figure so far in the student movement against the retirement reform, according to the Education Ministry.

At a high school in the Paris suburb of Nanterre closed because of earlier violence, a few hundred youths and nearly as many police gathered today.

The teenagers started throwing stones from a bridge, and police responded with tear gas and barricaded the area. Nanterre has often seen student protests in past years.

In the Nanterre clashes, youths knocked a press photographer off his motorbike and kicked and punched him as they rampaged down a street adjacent to the school.

Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie pledged on Europe-1 radio today to stay firm against “troublemakers” on the margins of the protest movement.

The head of the UNEF student union, Jean-Baptiste Prevost, countered that students “have no other solution but to continue”.

“Every time the government is firm, there are more people in the street,” he told i-tele news channel, predicting a large turnout for today’s street marches.

With disruptions on the national railway entering their eighth consecutive day today, many commuters’ patience was beginning to wear thin. Only about one in two trains were running on some of the Paris Metro lines, and commuters had to elbow their way on to packed trains.

At Paris’ Gare Saint Lazare, which serves the French capital’s western suburbs and the north-western Normandy and Brittany regions, commuters waited on crowded platforms for their trains.

Only about half of regularly scheduled trains were running out of the station.

Caroline Mesnard, a 29-year-old teacher said she expected her journey to take about twice as long as usual – as it has since last Tuesday’s start of the open-ended strike on France’s trains.

“All I can say is that after eight days, it’s beginning to get a bit tiresome,” said Mesnard. “I’m really tired, but there’s nothing to be done but hang on and wait for this to end.”

In the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, strikes by rubbish collectors have left heaps of rubbish piled along city pavements. But still, the piles of rotting rubbish don’t appear to have diminished labour union support in a city that has long had an activist reputation.

“Transport, the rubbish, the nurses, the teachers, the workers, the white collar, everyone who works, we should all be united. If there is no transport today, we’re not all going to die from it,” said 55-year-old resident Francoise Michelle.

Sarkozy has stressed that 62 is among the lowest retirement ages in Europe, the French are living much longer and the pension system is losing money.

The measure is expected to pass a vote in the Senate this week.

Today Sarkozy pledged to crack down on the “troublemakers”.

He said blockages of oil refineries “cannot exist in a democracy” where “there are people who want to work”.

He insisted it was his “duty” to pass pension reform, saying demographics and people’s increasing life expectancy have made raising the retirement age from 60 to 62 a necessity and stressed that other European nations had already made similar changes.

Sarkozy was speaking at a press conference in Deauville with the leaders of Russia and Germany.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

Joe Biden
Barack Obama Former presidents help Joe Biden raise $26m for campaign
Cosmic explosion to create bright ‘new star’ in night sky for several days Cosmic explosion to create bright ‘new star’ in night sky for several days
Greece’s government survives no-confidence motion called over rail disaster Greece’s government survives no-confidence motion called over rail disaster
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited