French strikes continue
French president Nicolas Sarkozy is facing opposition to his economic reforms
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Tuesday, 20, Nov 2007 11:07
Thousands of French civil servants will stage a 24-hour walk out today in support of pay increases and an end to planned job cuts.
French president Nicolas Sarkozy is facing the biggest challenge to his planned economic reforms since coming to power in May, with the strike by public servants coinciding with the ongoing industrial action that is currently crippling transport services across the country.
At the same time French students are also protesting over the government's plans to allow universities more autonomy to secure commercial funding.
French public servants, including teachers, postal workers and hospital staff, are staging their day-long strike in protest at plans to cut the number of state-employed workers by not replacing those who are approaching retirement.
Meanwhile transport workers in France have entered the seventh day of an indefinite strike against proposals to scrap certain pension provisions.
The French government is planning to abolish "special" pensions privileges currently enjoyed by some 500,000 workers – mainly in the country's rail and energy sectors.
The provisions allow those affected to retire two-and-a-half years earlier than the rest of France's population.
Disruption caused by the transport strike, which has caused misery for commuters – particularly in the French capital Paris – is estimated to have cost the country's economy between €300 million and €400 million (£215 million and £286 million), according to the nation's finance minister Christine Lagarde.
However hopes of a possible resolution to the dispute have been raised after union leaders agreed to attend talks tomorrow.
Recent opinion polls have suggested the French public has little sympathy with the transport strikers.