Huge Strike by Public Workers Paralyzes France
His tough talk not withstanding (see WIT for Jan. 13, 2003), the parallels between current center-right French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin's attempts to erode the pension benefits of public sector workers and those by the previous center-right government (see WIT for May 9, 2003), must be increasingly uncomfortable. Public sector workers yesterday held the largest walkout since the three-week strikes over the previous pension reduction attempts in 1995, as between 850,000 and over 1 million teachers, police and fire officers, and utility workers shut down much of France. Mr. Raffarin's government has spent $17 million on publicity campaigns to avoid the public outcry that led to the last center-right government's downfall over pensions (see WIT for Feb. 4, 2003), but close to two-thirds of the public fear their pensions would be next and support the government workers.
See "Huge Strike by Public Workers Paralyzes France", ELAINE SCIOLINO, The New York Times, May 13, 2003