End to French Transit Strike Seems Near [View All]

Source: NY Times

By DOREEN CARVAJAL

PARIS, Nov. 22 — A crippling national transportation strike that has lasted nine days appeared to be sputtering to an end in France today as rail workers fighting to retain early retirement rights appeared to grow willing to accept negotiations and voted throughout the country to return to work.

More than 40 union assemblies across France voted to return to work, but more votes were being held. The state-owned rail operator S.N.C.F. hailed the early voting as a sign of a “dynamic” to return to work and union officials talked about “a climate to suspend” the strike.

Even if no one was willing to officially celebrate, and weary commuters continued to struggle with crowded trains and mobbed station platforms today, the strike was clearly losing steam. The proportion of rail workers absent on the S.N.C.F., which runs the high speed, regional and intercity train lines , fell to 14.5 percent today compared with 64 percent on the first day of the strike last week.

It has been a symbolic clash that has tested the resolve of the transport unions — fighting an unpopular battle to allow their workers to retire in their 50s — against that of President Nicholas Sarkozy. His campaign for retirement changes is popular with almost 70 percent of the French.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/23/world/europe/23france.html?hp