Thursday, 25 January, 2001, 16:41 GMT
French strikes cause chaos
Transport has been severely affected in several French cities
By James Coomarasamy in Paris
Strikes across France have brought chaos to several French cities as thousands of
French workers have been protesting against plans to push the retirement age beyond
60.
Rail and plane services have also been hit, and a large demonstration is planned for
later in the day in the French capital.
Thousands of public and private-sector workers have joined together in the protests
Public transport has been severely affected in several French cities while train
services between Paris and several towns have also been disrupted.
Lyon, Marseille and Montpellier are among those cities that have been brought to a
standstill.
Many domestic flights have been cancelled and at least one national radio station has
had to reschedule its programmes because of protesting staff.
Unions' concern
Tens of thousands of public and private-sector workers have joined together in the
protest, which is aimed at private-sector bosses.
The unions are unhappy about their proposal to change the current pension system.
The Employers' Federation wants employees to make pension contributions to 45 years
before they are guaranteed a full pension, rather than 40 years, as is the current
case.
The Federation says it is concerned that the system will simply break down as the
proportion of French people over 60 continues to rise.
Although unions say they accept that things need to change, they are annoyed about the
methods being employed by the bosses.
Talks between the two sides broke down before Christmas. The French Prime Minister,
Lionel Jospin, has spoken in support of keeping the retirement age at 60.
But he is aware of growing concern in France that the country's generous pension
system could cause real strain on the budget in the years to come.
Search BBC News Online
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Internet links:
CGT union (in French)
Medef - employers' federation (in French)
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