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Strikes hit France to keep retirement at 60
Source: Agencies |
September 24, 2010, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FRENCH commuters squeezed onto limited trains or fought for rare parking spots yesterday as a second round of strikes against President Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 hobbled trains, planes and schools.
Fewer than half of the Paris Metro's lines were working normally, and about half of France's long-distance trains were being canceled, system spokespersons said.
Many flights were canceled at Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports, the Paris airport authority said. Post offices and even opera houses were hit too.
Security was higher than usual at some Metro stations, where soldiers armed with machine guns were on patrol. In recent days, top officials have warned that the risk of a terrorist attack on French soil was at a record high.
The strikes are seen as a test for the conservative Sarkozy and are being watched elsewhere in Europe, as governments struggle to rein in costs with unpopular austerity measures after the Greek debt crisis scared markets and sapped confidence in the entire 16-nation euro currency.
In all, 232 demonstrations were being held nationwide. Union leaders are seeking a massive show of popular discontent, hoping to beat the September 7 protests that brought at least 1.1 million people into the streets over reforms to the deficit-burdened pension system.
Fewer than half of the Paris Metro's lines were working normally, and about half of France's long-distance trains were being canceled, system spokespersons said.
Many flights were canceled at Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports, the Paris airport authority said. Post offices and even opera houses were hit too.
Security was higher than usual at some Metro stations, where soldiers armed with machine guns were on patrol. In recent days, top officials have warned that the risk of a terrorist attack on French soil was at a record high.
The strikes are seen as a test for the conservative Sarkozy and are being watched elsewhere in Europe, as governments struggle to rein in costs with unpopular austerity measures after the Greek debt crisis scared markets and sapped confidence in the entire 16-nation euro currency.
In all, 232 demonstrations were being held nationwide. Union leaders are seeking a massive show of popular discontent, hoping to beat the September 7 protests that brought at least 1.1 million people into the streets over reforms to the deficit-burdened pension system.
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