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  • France becoming gridlocked

    Anyone thinking of a French trip beware , the countries unions are in dispute with Hollande's reforms , and myself I personally admire the French for sticking together.

    France's Hollande pledges to press on with labour reform View photos

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    French President Francois Hollande pledged Friday he would press on with his unpopular labour reforms, despite strikes that have paralysed the nation.

    "I will keep going because I think these are good reforms," he told reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan, adding that his government would ensure "freedom of movement" for citizens beset with rail strikes and fuel blockades.

    "Our primary duty... is to do everything to maintain the supply of fuel to the public and to continue to provide essential public services."

    Socialist leader Hollande said he was always mindful of the right to protest, but the state had an obligation to ensure normal life could continue for most people.

    And he rejected what he called the "ultimatum" of the militant unions whose rolling strikes have disrupted transport and sparked fuel shortages.

    The tug of war between workers and Hollande's deeply unpopular government shows little sign of ending, with union chiefs urging their members to "multiply and support" the strikes.

    Hollande, who has spent the last two days with the leaders of Britain, Germany, Italy, Canada, Japan and the United States, said he would not be held hostage.

    "The legislation will go before the senate and then return to the National Assembly. It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) is within this framework that discussions should take place, and nowhere else."

  • #2
    I was in Paris the last time the French were rioting over pension reforms and must say, I never seen their unions on the streets, nor I was in any way affected as a tourist.
    No such thing as a good tax - Churchill

    To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.

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    • #3
      I was there when the terrorists attacked. Didn't see anything either.
      "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

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      • #4
        This is now .


        Telegraph News
        France braces for further strikes in half-term travel chaos
        People cross railway lines during a protest against the French government's labour law reforms
        People cross railway lines during a protest against the French government's labour law reforms CREDIT: AFP

        29 MAY 2016 • 5:11PM
        Half-term holidaymakers in France may be stranded by further strikes that will disrupt flights and rail services as fuel shortages persist in the worst labour unrest for decades.

        Days before the Euro 2016 football tournament kicks off, President François Hollande, already under pressure over terrorism fears, is frantically seeking a face-saving way to end the crisis over bitterly disputed labour reforms.

        Mr Hollande, who is nicknamed ‘Flanby’ after a wobbly caramel dessert partly because of his reputation for caving in when challenged, is reportedly ready to offer the unions a compromise. If they drop their opposition to an employment bill to make hiring and firing easier, he will grant concessions in separate negotiations on working conditions and pay.

        The more moderate CFDT union backs the labour reforms, which have already been watered down, to the disgust of many employers, but the hardline CGT refuses to compromise.

        Unionists block the trucks' tollgate of the "Pont de Normandie", in northwestern France
        Unionists block the trucks' tollgate of the "Pont de Normandie", in northwestern France CREDIT: AFP

        “The CGT knows it will not obtain the withdrawal of the law but it will be necessary for them to win concessions in other areas,” a source close to the president told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper. Negotiations are already in progress with the national rail company, SNCF, the state-owned Paris transport corporation, RATP, and Air France.

        Air controllers plan to strike from Friday to Sunday, which will affect airports across France and is likely to force French and international airlines to postpone and cancel flights.

        Rail workers are also planning stoppages that will lead to severe cuts in national train services from Wednesday. In Paris, Métro and suburban train services will be reduced from Thursday, when CGT members are to begin a strike. Another leftist union, SUD, has called a strike from June 10, when the month-long football tournament starts.

        Many of the strikers voted for the Socialist president who came to power promising to curb the “excesses” of international finance. Now that he has adopted a more pragmatic, business-friendly stance in a bid to cut unemployment, at a record of more than 10 per cent, they accuse him of betrayal.
        Last edited by tankie; 30 May 16,, 12:18.

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