Strikes delayed French commuter traffic but, initially at least, the promised "Black Thursday" protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's government was less dramatic than expected.
A third of flights out of Paris' second airport Orly were cancelled, but remaining services from there and the larger Charles de Gaulle were delayed only by around half-and-hour, as much by thick fog as by the strike.Inside the city, around three-quarters of Metro trains were running on the underground network, along with 85 percent of buses and all trams and airport shuttle services, management told AFP.Arriving in Paris, most commuters were unperturbed by the disruption and many expressed support for the strikers."I'm tired and frozen after waiting half-an-hour on the platform," said 34-year-old secretary ...
spetr - 13 months agoFrance faces a week of disruption from transport and public sector strikes as unions wage a number of separate campaigns against President Nicolas Sarkozy's labour reforms.Hundreds of domestic and international flights were cancelled for a third day on Sunday as Air France (AIRF.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) pilots pursued a four-day strike, due to end late on Monday.Travel chaos could spread to the railways on Tuesday when train drivers stage the first of two strikes called by separate unions within days of each other over freight sector reforms.On Thursday, demonstrations by teachers over budget cuts threaten school closures and on Saturday, postal workers say they will strike for a day over partial privatisation plans.The head of one of France's biggest unions, CGT leader ...
spetr - 16 months ago
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