France's rail network, airports, public schools and government offices face work stoppages today, after the country's eight biggest labor unions called for a one-day general strike.
In what could be the largest such action since President Nicolas Sarkozy was elected in May 2007, the unions are demanding that the government do more to counter rising unemployment and falling purchasing power as France enters its first recession in 16 years.
"Everyone should participate in the strike -- the unemployed, retired people for whom also life is tough," Bernard Thibault, secretary general of the Confederation Generale du Travail union, said on France 2 television. "The more the numbers, the greater the chance of our being heard."
Public and private sector workers are set to take to the streets, disrupting service on the Paris subway and commuter trains, on the national railway, at airports and on Air France- KLM Group flights. Employees of companies including Electricite de France SA and French units of International Business Machines Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. are among those likely to participate in the strike.
In neighboring Germany, commuters in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and six other cities also braced for disruptions tomorrow after rail unions Transnet and GDBA called a half-day strike over a dispute with state-owned Deutsche Bahn AG on wages and work schedules.
‘Real Anger'
In France, public schools and government offices are preparing for poor employee attendance during the strike, with unions for teachers, doctors and other civil servants asking for "urgent measures for employment and wages" and a further boost to the economy. About 67 percent of school teachers are joining in the strike, Le Monde reported, citing unions.
"There is a lot of concern," Jean-Francois Cope, the head of the ruling party in the national assembly, said on RTL radio today. "There's irritation, real anger for those who have to work. Isn't there another way to express your unhappiness?"
Unions say measures announced by the government so far are inadequate. Sarkozy unveiled a 26 billion-euro ($34.4 billion) economic-stimulus package in December.
"I understand your difficulties," Sarkozy told workers during a visit to a plant near Chateauroux, in central France, yesterday. "But I must consider that with a cool head, calmly, thoughtfully, and mustn't decide in accordance with what's written in newspapers or with whoever shouts the loudest."
Rising Unemployment
About 69 percent of the French people back the strike, according to a poll by CSA-Opinion for newspaper Le Parisien on Jan. 25. Forty-six percent support the strike, while 23 percent "sympathize," with the union call, Le Parisien said. Of those interviewed, 12 percent were opposed or hostile to the strike.
It's the first time in Sarkozy's presidency that a "social movement" has had such public approval, Stephane Rozes, head of CSA-Opinion told the daily.
The French economy, the euro area's second largest, may contract 1.8 percent this year, the worst performance since World War II, the European Union projected on Jan. 19. Companies are cutting jobs as the credit crunch derails purchases of homes, cars and factory machinery.
The EU sees France's unemployment rate at 9.8 percent this year and 10.6 percent next year. The number of jobseekers in France has risen for seven months, recording the biggest jump on record in November.
Trains, Planes
Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais, or SNCF, France's national railway, said starting at 8 p.m. local time today, about 60 percent of the regional TER train services and 40 percent of high-speed TGV lines will be disrupted.
Eurostar and Thalys services to London and Brussels will run normally, SNCF said. All overnight domestic and international trains will be canceled except for a Berlin-Paris train arriving in the French capital on Jan. 30.
Up to 50 percent of domestic high-speed services from and to Paris will be canceled, and 70 percent of the Corail domestic trains will be canceled, the railroad said.
RATP, the Paris transport authority, said the city's subway service will range anywhere from normal to one-out-of- three trains. One bus out of four will be canceled. At best, one train out of five will be running on its A and B RER regional train lines.
Calls for Concessions
DGAC, the French aviation authority, recommended that airlines flying into and out of the Paris-Orly airport pare flights by 30 percent, while those going through Paris-Charles de Gaulle by 10 percent. Air France-KLM Group said last night that it plans to maintain all long-haul flights, while canceling 30 percent and 10 percent, respectively, of its short- and medium-haul flights from Orly and Charles de Gaulle.
Power and gas supplies may be hit after EDF and GDF Suez SA employees said they are participating in the work stoppage. Previous strikes have led to lower electricity output at power producer EDF.
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon last night dismissed calls for concessions to appease the strikers.
"It's not the government's role to make gestures," Fillon said on France 2 television. "It's the government's role to keep reforms on track." Bloomberg.com
French Postal Workers To Join General Strike
French postal workers are to join many other public sector workers by striking in protest over what they see as poor leadership from the French government over the economic downturn.
Others expected to join the general strike include journalists and car workers. The action is backed by the major unions as the French and other European governments desperately try to minimise the damage of what looks likely to be a prolonged recession.
In the UK, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that doing nothing during the downturn was not an option and only by maintaining a fiscal policy across Europe could European countries see a faster return to stability and growth. Opposition leaders say that massive borrowing will only create an extended period of high taxes later on and would do little to stimulate the economy, drawing attention to the recent drop in VAT rates which they say has so far not seen a resumption of consumer confidence.
Growing unemployment and a fall in growth in France has fueled the protest which could yet escalate into further protests.