French strikes intensify as Sarkozy calls for a step forward from both sides by Corina Ciubotaru

France is on its sixth day of strikes and the situation is starting to take its toll on the economic state of the country. It is losing $400 million each day because of transportation workers unhappy with the overhaul of pension systems enjoyed by 500,000 of them. Even though the majority of French people oppose of the strike, transportation workers have been joined by civil servants, hospital staff, teachers and other state employees on Tuesday. The commercial sector is experiencing a blow as well, and the Paris region is the hardest-hit. Hotels, exhibition centers, theaters are all suffering from the strike, as do taxi drivers who barely manage to avoid traffic jams. The crisis was started after President Sarkozy announced some categories of workers should be allowed to retire in their 50s. All kinds of workers have since joined the strike, including school teachers, firefighters and civil servants, who would like to see their working life end sooner as well. A separate strike meant also that the air traffic was slowed and that workers from the Bank of France protested along the streets of France, with railway services not reopening before Wednesday. Apparently, talks will not begin until both sides take a step forward and protesters agree to go back to work; this strike has mobilized 30 percent of French civil service employees. President Sarkozy has not intervened to stop it so far, but declared recently that he believed the strikers are inconsiderate of their colleagues who want to go to work.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071119/bs_afp/francestrikescost;_ylt=AhYJsydudm6j8BAWrktlorl34T0D

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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