Sarkozy defiant over French strike
Allegra Stratton and agencies
Tuesday November 20, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
A defiant President Nicolas Sarkozy today refused to back down from his confrontation with strikers as he claimed that French voters had given him a mandate for reform.
In his first comments since an escalating dispute with unions, Sarkozy said in a speech to French mayors: "We will not surrender and we will not retreat ... France needs reforms to meet the challenges imposed on it by the world."
National rail and Paris public transport unions have been on strike since last week and energy workers have also staged sporadic stoppages in protest against government plans to change special union privileges that allow some public sector workers to retire early.
Sarkozy said the changes were years overdue and were aimed at harmonising all state pensions.
"Everyone should understand that for me, in such a conflict, there will neither be winners or losers ... but I also say that one should know how to end a strike when the time for negotiations starts," the French president said.
Negotiations with rail and public transport workers are due to open on Wednesday to try and end the dispute.
Sarkozy's comments came as civil servants took to the streets in protest at low pay and threatened job cuts, piling the pressure on the government. Around 30% joined transport and energy workers in a walkout that closed schools, airports and post offices.
Union officials said 58% of high school teachers had not gone to work and striking energy workers had cut 8.7% of France's EDFG nuclear plant production. Students blocked access to universities at dozens of campuses across France.
Carrying banners reading "All together for pensions, wages, jobs, public service", several thousand railway workers, civil servants and supporters from the private sector rallied in Marseilles, in southern France.
The government said the striking workers were holding the country's economic growth to ransom.
"When you decide not to work, when you prevent goods from circulating in a certain way, when you prevent people from getting to places, obviously that can be a problem at some point," the public accounts minister, Eric Woerth, told French radio.
The 24-hour stoppage by public sector workers is in protest at low purchasing power amid the rising cost of living, and job cuts as a result of Sarkozy's "civil service revolution" aiming to slash Europe's most expensive state bureaucracy.
About 5.2 million work in the public sector - one fifth of the French workforce. Sarkozy plans to make these job cuts by not replacing those who retire.
The civil service strike falls on the seventh day of strikes by France's 500,000 train drivers, who are protesting at the government's attempts to end their privilege to retire at 50 on favourable terms.
The mass of industrial activity is already being referred to as Sarkozy's Black November.
Railway and other public sector workers were joined by France's main energy union, whose 24-hour strike, which began last night, has included a cut in nuclear power capacity.
Air traffic controllers also voted for a 24-hour strike and students, who have been protesting since the start of November over a government reform that gives universities greater autonomy, also walked out.
In addition, there were no newspapers at newsstands because of strikes by distributors over job losses.
The operators of Bar-Tabacs, which sell cigarettes and tobacco, will demonstrate tomorrow to protest against anti-smoking laws.
Lawyers and judges also plan to protest next week over reform plans that will cut the number of local tribunals.
But Sarkozy's government is standing tough, insisting it will not negotiate with rail workers until they have gone back to work.
The president was elected on a reforming agenda to introduce what his party called flexibility into Europe's second largest economy. However, Sarkozy's senior adviser on industrial relations, Raymond Soubie, insisted that this week's snowballing strikes were not the president's "Thatcher moment".
He said the transport workers' pension deals would be reformed but added: "Sarkozy has not wanted to force it through à la Thatcher, but through dialogue."
Sarkozy, despite his image as an iron-willed moderniser, has so far taken a cautious and soft approach. Unusually for the omnipresent leader dubbed "Super Sarko", he has not made a public speech for almost a week, aware that he must not be seen to be crowing victory or humiliating his opponents.
Sarkozy's toughest opponent may prove to be the visiting Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, with whom the French president was having lunch at midday.
Sarkozy is also due to address a congress of mayors and may make a reference to the strikes.
Opinion polls show the rail strike is unpopular with most French voters, but the government is also under pressure to show it is working for a breakthrough.
In his first comments since an escalating dispute with unions, Sarkozy said in a speech to French mayors: "We will not surrender and we will not retreat ... France needs reforms to meet the challenges imposed on it by the world."
National rail and Paris public transport unions have been on strike since last week and energy workers have also staged sporadic stoppages in protest against government plans to change special union privileges that allow some public sector workers to retire early.
Sarkozy said the changes were years overdue and were aimed at harmonising all state pensions.
"Everyone should understand that for me, in such a conflict, there will neither be winners or losers ... but I also say that one should know how to end a strike when the time for negotiations starts," the French president said.
Negotiations with rail and public transport workers are due to open on Wednesday to try and end the dispute.
Sarkozy's comments came as civil servants took to the streets in protest at low pay and threatened job cuts, piling the pressure on the government. Around 30% joined transport and energy workers in a walkout that closed schools, airports and post offices.
Union officials said 58% of high school teachers had not gone to work and striking energy workers had cut 8.7% of France's EDFG nuclear plant production. Students blocked access to universities at dozens of campuses across France.
Carrying banners reading "All together for pensions, wages, jobs, public service", several thousand railway workers, civil servants and supporters from the private sector rallied in Marseilles, in southern France.
The government said the striking workers were holding the country's economic growth to ransom.
"When you decide not to work, when you prevent goods from circulating in a certain way, when you prevent people from getting to places, obviously that can be a problem at some point," the public accounts minister, Eric Woerth, told French radio.
The 24-hour stoppage by public sector workers is in protest at low purchasing power amid the rising cost of living, and job cuts as a result of Sarkozy's "civil service revolution" aiming to slash Europe's most expensive state bureaucracy.
About 5.2 million work in the public sector - one fifth of the French workforce. Sarkozy plans to make these job cuts by not replacing those who retire.
The civil service strike falls on the seventh day of strikes by France's 500,000 train drivers, who are protesting at the government's attempts to end their privilege to retire at 50 on favourable terms.
The mass of industrial activity is already being referred to as Sarkozy's Black November.
Railway and other public sector workers were joined by France's main energy union, whose 24-hour strike, which began last night, has included a cut in nuclear power capacity.
Air traffic controllers also voted for a 24-hour strike and students, who have been protesting since the start of November over a government reform that gives universities greater autonomy, also walked out.
In addition, there were no newspapers at newsstands because of strikes by distributors over job losses.
The operators of Bar-Tabacs, which sell cigarettes and tobacco, will demonstrate tomorrow to protest against anti-smoking laws.
Lawyers and judges also plan to protest next week over reform plans that will cut the number of local tribunals.
But Sarkozy's government is standing tough, insisting it will not negotiate with rail workers until they have gone back to work.
The president was elected on a reforming agenda to introduce what his party called flexibility into Europe's second largest economy. However, Sarkozy's senior adviser on industrial relations, Raymond Soubie, insisted that this week's snowballing strikes were not the president's "Thatcher moment".
He said the transport workers' pension deals would be reformed but added: "Sarkozy has not wanted to force it through à la Thatcher, but through dialogue."
Sarkozy, despite his image as an iron-willed moderniser, has so far taken a cautious and soft approach. Unusually for the omnipresent leader dubbed "Super Sarko", he has not made a public speech for almost a week, aware that he must not be seen to be crowing victory or humiliating his opponents.
Sarkozy's toughest opponent may prove to be the visiting Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez, with whom the French president was having lunch at midday.
Sarkozy is also due to address a congress of mayors and may make a reference to the strikes.
Opinion polls show the rail strike is unpopular with most French voters, but the government is also under pressure to show it is working for a breakthrough.
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