Another country's transit woes.

[Mill Bay]

Has anyone heard about what is going on in France?

When we think we have transit issues... in France they must be a lot more dependent on transit than we are, especially for inter-city movements. They really know how to throw a strike there, because it's shut down their transit network nationwide.


Strike Hobbles French Transport
By ELAINE GANLEY –

PARIS (AP) — Transport workers shut down most trains Wednesday, testing the patience of Parisians forced to walk, bike or skate to work with a strike aimed at derailing President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to strip away labor protections he says hurt France's competitiveness.

Faced with a new day of strikes Thursday and the first major challenge to his crusade to modernize France via wide reforms, Sarkozy called on unions to enter talks.

"The president of the Republic has always considered that there is more to be gained for all parties in negotiation than in conflict," presidential spokesman David Martinon said. The strikes "must end as quickly as possible in the interest of passengers."

Sarkozy is known as a leader in a rush to accomplish his goals — and to sweep aside obstacles. The statement by his spokesman ahead of a second day of transport chaos suggested Sarkozy does not want to take a chance on his reforms unraveling. The one in question, aimed at ending a system of special retirement benefits, is emblematic of his bid to sweep away what he sees as obsolete practices.

Both the state train authority, which began its strike Tuesday night, and the Paris transport system announced a fresh day of walkouts Thursday — despite a green light from Sarkozy to open talks while ceding nothing.

Students angry over a university reform law added a volatile element to the social turmoil in a month that promises more work stoppages on other contested reforms.

Parisians were forced to rely on their own energy, or ingenuity, to get to work Wednesday. They made full use of the city's new rent-a-bike service, skated across town or used children's scooters. Still others traded high heels for sensible shoes and walked.

Just 90 of 700 trains ran Wednesday. The Eurostar between Paris and London, run by a separate company, was not effected by the strike. And tempers were short on the first day.

"I support the idea of strikes, but not this strike," said 25-year-old Xavier Michel, who skated five miles to his advertising job. This strike hurts "the little guys like us" who are "basically taken hostage."

The government as well as the unions are seeking a compromise in the standoff over Sarkozy's bid to pare down special pension benefits for a few privileged sectors, such as train drivers who currently retire at 50. The money saved by a reform that would affect a half-million workers is meant to spur growth and put all the French on the same footing.

Utilities workers and employees of opera houses — where curtains remained drawn Wednesday — are among those who would lose special benefits.

In a breakthrough, Sarkozy agreed to a proposal by powerful CGT union boss Bernard Thibault for company-by-company talks with a government official present.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon added a hitch, saying the heart of the reform is "not negotiable."

In his statement, the presidential spokesman was softer, saying that "concrete proposals" from all sides "will naturally be examined."

Labor Minister Xavier Bertrand, in a letter to seven union chiefs, said negotiations should commence "rapidly" and be completed in a month.

It was the second transport strike in less than a month, but an Oct. 18 walkout was meant as no more than a warning. The current strike calling for daily votes on whether to continue is meant to wear the government down.

A poll by the BVA firm published Wednesday suggested a wide majority of French sided with Sarkozy, with 58 percent of those questioned saying the government should not back down compared to 34 percent who disagreed. No margin of error was given for the poll of 981 people but at that size it would be plus or minus three percentage points.

Despite the backing, Sarkozy's bid to overhaul France and make it more competitive could be an uphill battle. Civil servants plan a day of action next Tuesday and magistrates are to protest a plan to redistrict courts, eliminating dozens, at the end of the month.

On Wednesday, students blocking universities for the past week stepped up their protest, forcing 25 to close and partially blocking 10 others, including the prestigious Sorbonne, according to UNEF, the main students' union. The Education Ministry said 11 schools were closed and several dozen subject affected by disturbances.

They added their numbers to a protest march through Paris on Wednesday.

Students opposed to the blockages were doubly punished — without transport and unable to get into class. "Not only did it take me an hour and a half to get here, I can't get in," Sorbonne law student Michael David said. Professors there tried to push their way through pickets.

Both the SNCF train authority and the RATP that runs Paris public transport predicted a softening of the strike action Thursday — but not enough to make a solid difference.

Many caught by the strike made the best of it.

Didier Thery of suburban Cergy-Pontoise took a vacation day and drove his wife to work in Paris, along with a colleague.

"It let me see Paris in another way," he said, "with everyone on bicycles, men taking wives with their beautiful shoes on motorcycles."

Said his wife, Isabelle: "We are so used to strikes, we're well organized."

Associated Press writers Laurent Pirot, Jean-Marie Godard, Nathalie Schuck, John Leicester and Elizabeth Ryan contributed to this report.

[Barnacle]

Well, I do feel for "the little guy" who is "basically taken hostage," I also remind him that strikes really aren't meant to be convenient.

[Neil]

There is definitely a difference in attitudes toward strikes and protests between Canada and France.

In this country, the big corporate media promotes a mindset that invariably paints strikers as either (a)- ingrates who don't appreciate what they have, or, (b)- dogmatic socialists who don't recognize the 'new economic realities'. Protesters are much fewer here, and are often dismissed as 'rent-a-crowds', or fringers who have little to do but gripe. Oh sure, we'll venerate the Gandhis, and protesters in other lands who fight against injustice, but we look much more cynically on active dissenters here at home.

In "Sicko", Michael Moore makes the point that in the U.S., people have been taught to fear the government, whereas in France it's often the other way around. There, protests can be so huge that government has no choice but to listen, and strikers are not so routinely disparaged for taking what they feel to be necessary action, even if many are inconvenienced.

[Northern Exploration]

I don't disagree with you Neil but in France and even more so in Italy the constant strikes have a profound effect on business. One example is Italy's flagship carrier Alitalia. It loses money head over heal and spot strikes are not uncommon. Much to Air Canada's and other airlines delite as scores of travelers flood over to them. Alitalia has been for sale at bargain basement prices and no one has bitten. The reason is that the labour climate is so bad and the workers so militant no one will touch them. The potential buyers figure either the price drops to such a rediculous amount that the aircraft are being almost given away and the staff will just be dumped or that they want the carrier to go under and will just take over the routes with their own aircraft and staff.

There is a direct correlation between service, success of a company and labour relations. During the last round of problems at Air Canada (another one may crop up soon) the employees were in such a funk that service was the pits and customers suffered terribly. Things have improved dramatically. In the US, many of the legacy carriers have suffered because their service is lousy both because of cutbacks and due to staff attitudes. Meanwhile airlines such as Southwest/West Jet flourish.

The big looming threat in the industry is the explosion of airlines from other countries that make service #1. Emirates, Singapore Airlines, etc. etc. are all experiencing massive growth. Their labour rules are much different than North American airlines. Emirates has placed absolutely massive aircraft orders recently. They are bent on world domination of the market. They require much more of their staff, have service standards our crews would rebel against, and the result is a big threat to our airlines. One controversy was the "rest" or break rules for Singapore Airlines staff on long haul flights.

Like so many areas the extreme of labour militancy and labour unrest in Italy must be balanced with the other extreme of bad working conditions and abuse of workers. In the meantime our companies had better be very smart and the workers open their eyes to the competition from abroad in their demands or they may find themselves losing their jobs to other countries.