 |
|
|
French truckers blockade country in pay strike
November 3, 1997
Web posted at: 10:54 a.m. EST (1554 GMT)PARIS (CNN) -- French truckers striking over pay and work conditions have begun a nationwide blockade of key transportation points in what is seen as a major challenge for Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, who came to power in June with a pledge to curb unemployment and create jobs.
The truckers began setting up well over 100 roadblocks Sunday night to deny access to main roads, fuel depots and border crossings.
"They don't want to work for peanuts anymore," said a union chief negotiator on Monday, after talks with the UFT federation representing 80 percent of the trucking companies collapsed.
A L S O :
Detailed map of France (160k)"We want decent salaries, not that of a cleaning lady," commented another local union official.
The French Ministry of Transport announced Monday afternoon that negotiations between trucking company bosses and striking drivers would resume Tuesday morning.
Last year's strike lasted 12 days
The truckers accuse employers of reneging on key elements of an agreement reached after a similar 12-day strike brought France to a virtual standstill last year.
In that conflict, drivers won the right to retire at 55, but they complain that some employers have not paid a $500 bonus that was agreed at the time.
UFT leaders in turn said the new trucker demands would cause unemployment and put some member firms out of business.
The French public is said to be generally sympathetic with the truckers at this stage. The truckers make an average $1,350 a month and are known to generally be paid less than their counterparts in other parts of Western Europe.
On Monday, only trucks were being stopped in most places, with private cars being allowed to trickle through, but long queues of traffic built up.
Striking drivers used their cars rather than trucks to block an oil refinery at Donges, near Nantes, serving much of the west of the country.
In Nantes itself, 10 trucks blocked access to a fuel depot while near Le Mans, a fuel dump, a Renault factory and warehouses were blockaded.
Fuel dumps at Toulouse and Bordeaux in the southwest were cut off and truckers continued to blockade the Feyzin oil refinery on the outskirts of Lyon.
In many areas, authorities requisitioned filling stations and brought in petrol rationing as a precaution.
The national road information center cited traffic problems in every French region, including roads to loading points for the English Channel ferries in Normandy and many important bridges.
Riot police reopened border crossing points with Spain and Germany by force. But roadblocks stopped freight traffic from Channel ferries at Calais, the Channel tunnel and along the main route into Belgium.
European Union concerned
European Union member states expressed concern about the possible economic fallout of the strike. In a statement released Monday, the European Commission said member states were legally obliged to ensure the free movement of people and goods in the single market.
The statement warned of effects for European business and employment, and urged all sides to resume negotiations.
The truckers' protest is the first major strike to confront Jospin, who came to power last June on anger over conservatives' inability to bring down the 12.5 percent unemployment.
The conservatives had been plagued by a steady onslaught of labor unrest, something Jospin has sought to avoid.
Jospin has not taken sides in the truckers' struggle, and offered Saturday night to lower trucking taxes by $133 per truck in a bid to relieve pressure on the two sides.
Members of Jospin's leftist coalition have accused truck company owners of provoking the strike.
"We are dealing with retrograde employers who don't know what they want to say concerning the employees," said Claude Bartolone, head of the parliament's Social Affairs Committee.
Paris Bureau Chief Peter Humi , The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- French truckers strike after deal rejected - November 2, 1997
- Strike by French truckers may be averted - November 1, 1997
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- Ministêre de L'Equipement, des Transports et du Logement - official site of the French Ministry of Transport
- Les Echos - French language business daily
- International Transport Workers' Federation
- Against the tide: Victory for French truckers - background information on previous French trucker strike
- French Trucker Strike Raises Specter of Chaos on Continent - from the International Herald Tribune
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
|
Sound off on our message boards
You said it... |
|
© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.