Paris
Much of France’s public sector went on strike this week in an annual show of dissatisfaction with pay and hours. Air-traffic controllers stayed home, causing hundreds of flight cancellations across Europe. Public television and radio went off the air for a day. And tens of thousands of postal workers, subway and bus conductors, and others marched through the streets of Paris. In addition to the usual demands for more money, this year public-sector employees are also angry about a new government plan to privatize some services. They fear that their salaries and benefits will drop if their agencies are forced to compete in a free market. In an unrelated strike this week, truckers demanded a Christmas bonus of a full month’s pay.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Quiz of The Week: 15 – 21 NovemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Can the UK do more on climate change?Today's Big Question Labour has shown leadership in the face of fraying international consensus, but must show the public their green mission is ‘a net benefit, not a net cost’
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will US Catholics rebel against the Pope?Podcast Plus what are the ethics of freezing your late partner?
