Millions of workers and students took to the streets across France Thursday to protest final approval by the National Assembly of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s pension “reform” bill. The French economy was still crippled by gasoline shortages due to ongoing refinery and port strikes...
The demonstration had overwhelming popular support, with 65 percent of the population approving it, according to the most recent Le Parisien poll. The Sarkozy government, on the other hand, has fallen in recent polls to a record low 29 percent approval rating...
Both private- and public-sector workers struck. Strikes hit air transport, with 50 percent of flights cancelled at Paris Orly Airport and 30 percent cancelled at the remaining metropolitan airports. Public transit was also affected by the strike movement. Workers at the national railway company (SNCF) and the Paris region railway system (RATP) walked out. According to company figures, four in ten regional trains did not run.
The CGT-Energy union said striking workers at France’s electricity monopoly EDF cut energy production by roughly 6,250 megawatts. It suggested strike action would continue, stating: “The two methane terminals at Fos are still out of operation… There is no doubt that, whatever form they decide on, workers will continue to mobilize against the pension bill. On many sites, plans to continue action are already organized.”
Workers at four of the country’s twelve refineries continue to block fuel shipments, and five of the six domestic refineries of French oil firm Total remain on strike.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/oct2010/fran-o29.shtml