Strikers in Paris and London Snarl Travel

[mike r]

Source: New York Times

France was gripped Tuesday by a major strike and protests against President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plan to raise the retirement age to 62 from 60. Also, a subway strike in London led the government to make available additional boats and buses and to encourage commuters to cycle to work.

Subway, suburban rail and bus traffic in Paris was sharply curtailed, though LCI television reported that subway disruptions were not as bad as expected. With many teachers striking across the country, parents of small children had no choice but to stay home. The RER B rail link to Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports was effectively halted. And because some air traffic controllers were on strike, the French civil aviation authority limited the number of flights landing and taking off... In London, two unions began a 24-hour job action during the evening rush Monday. Workers there oppose a plan by the Underground operator, Transport for London, to lay off 800 employees.

Mr. Sarkozy, who has been weakened in the polls by a scandal involving his labor minister, Éric Woerth, has vowed to push through with an overhaul of the national pension plan. The government argues that people must work longer if the system is to remain solvent. But many French people fear that a move to raise the minimum retirement age will be but the first step in a series of moves to whittle away at their cherished entitlements.

Union leaders were hoping for a turnout of two million or more demonstrators. Bernard Thibault, secretary general of the CGT labor union, told Europe 1 radio that the mobilization of demonstrators Tuesday would be the largest “in several years.”...


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/08/world/europe/08france.html

[hedgehog]

1. They have a strange way of celebrating Labor Day over there....

[suffragette]

2. Labor Day over there and most everywhere else is May 1st

[DFW]

4. Labor Day "over there" is May 1

And May 1 is usually celebrated in pretty much the same way, except that the rest
of the country has the day off officially, not due not being able to get to work.

By the way, I was on the phone to some friends in Paris a few minutes ago, and they
said it was cumbersome getting to work today, but they managed with some delay. They
said that getting home in the evening would be more of a challenge.

[Cal Carpenter]

6. Labor Day is an American holiday

Most of the world celebrates May Day which is in honor of the working class and it's struggles. In fact it is often marked with marches and rallies and strikes.

Labor Day is a sanitized 'patriotic' version created by the US which basically takes the emphasis away from the labor movement and it's accomplishments and instead thanks the ruling class for the three day weekend.

eta: dang I type slow, two or three other people got there first, lol

[hedgehog]

7. It was meant as dry humor , folks! I was contrasting our

shadow of a holiday to real labor action!

[Dr.Phool]

3. We need some of that over here.

General strikes.

[DFW]

5. Or better yet:

It would be nice to have a government responsive enough to the needs of the general population that such action would be unnecessary.