Transportation Workers' Strike Tomorrow
The spirit of revolution is alive and well in France this spring. Forty years after the massive student uprisings of May 1968, France is poised for large scale protests in the coming weeks.
Fisherman have blocked access to ports throughout the country in recent days asking for tax breaks due to the rising cost of diesel fuel. Yesterday, the workers at the port of Marseille went on strike to protest the privatisation of loading activities at state-run ports. Marseille is a popular cruise ship destination as well as a ferry terminal serving Corsica, Sardinia, Algeria, and Tunisia. Travellers planning to arrive or depart by ship in the coming weeks should contact their travel agent or the Marseille Port Authority for the latest updates.
Rail service, Air France, and public transport unions are expected to strike tomorrow (May 22) protesting against a planned change in the minimum age for collecting full pension. The minimum age is currently 40, but the government, arguing that increasing life expectancy requires people work longer, plans to extend the minimum age to 41. Civil servants are expected to join in the strike in opposition to a planned cut in 58,000 jobs over the next two years. Rail unions are threatening an open-ended strike as of June 2. Some trains will be running tomorrow. Visit the French Rail Network’s website for information about specific routes.
On May 24, teachers and students are expected to protest the government’s plans to cut over 11,000 education jobs in the coming academic year. The students and teachers have been vocal in the streets over the last two months, with ever-growing numbers of participation. A national one-day teachers’ strike was held last week with hundreds of thousands of participants. The May 24 strike is expected to be of equal magnitude.