John
10-16-2010, 01:33 PM
The country has already endured four days of walkouts over plans to raise the nation's retirement age from 60 to 62.
The government is determined to push ahead with the legislation, saying it is the only way to a stop a 32bn euro annual pension shortfall ballooning to 50bn euros by 2020.
Union leaders want to bring enough people onto the nation's streets to make the government think again.
Meanwhile, the ongoing strikes will continue to disrupt rail networks and air travel at the weekend.
Industrial action at oil ports and all the France's 12 refineries has put pressure on petrol and diesel supplies across the country.
Runway worker strikes at Paris' Orly airport grounded some Air France flights out of the capital on Friday.
Reports said main Parisian airport Roissy-Charles de Gaulle might run out of fuel, but France's ecology ministry said stocks will last until at least Tuesday.
Striking refuse workers have also left piles of uncollected rubbish around the southern French port city of Marseille for the fourth consecutive day.
Maxime Dumont, head of the CFDT union's trucking section, said drivers could block fuel depots, refineries and food warehouses and clog roads by driving slowly along them.
"In the transport sector, we can do a bit more to help the workers. We are going to join the movement to make the government give way," Mr Dumont said.
Adding to the problems, Eurostar services between London and Brussels will be cancelled from Sunday night through Monday due to a walkout in Belgium.
French unions said demonstrations on Tuesday drew 3.5 million people onto the streets - France's interior ministry put the figure at 1.23 million.
The government's main worry for the weekend is students becoming rowdy.
Riot police used tear gas on Friday to disperse crowds in the city of Lyon. Dozens of students were arrested across the country and several police were injured.
Source - Yahoo.
The government is determined to push ahead with the legislation, saying it is the only way to a stop a 32bn euro annual pension shortfall ballooning to 50bn euros by 2020.
Union leaders want to bring enough people onto the nation's streets to make the government think again.
Meanwhile, the ongoing strikes will continue to disrupt rail networks and air travel at the weekend.
Industrial action at oil ports and all the France's 12 refineries has put pressure on petrol and diesel supplies across the country.
Runway worker strikes at Paris' Orly airport grounded some Air France flights out of the capital on Friday.
Reports said main Parisian airport Roissy-Charles de Gaulle might run out of fuel, but France's ecology ministry said stocks will last until at least Tuesday.
Striking refuse workers have also left piles of uncollected rubbish around the southern French port city of Marseille for the fourth consecutive day.
Maxime Dumont, head of the CFDT union's trucking section, said drivers could block fuel depots, refineries and food warehouses and clog roads by driving slowly along them.
"In the transport sector, we can do a bit more to help the workers. We are going to join the movement to make the government give way," Mr Dumont said.
Adding to the problems, Eurostar services between London and Brussels will be cancelled from Sunday night through Monday due to a walkout in Belgium.
French unions said demonstrations on Tuesday drew 3.5 million people onto the streets - France's interior ministry put the figure at 1.23 million.
The government's main worry for the weekend is students becoming rowdy.
Riot police used tear gas on Friday to disperse crowds in the city of Lyon. Dozens of students were arrested across the country and several police were injured.
Source - Yahoo.