Union anger after Sarkozy says 'no-one notices strikes'

Published on Monday 7 July 2008 22:15

FRANCE'S powerful trade union leaders have lashed out at the president after he said in a speech this weekend that strikes in his country now had little impact.

Nicolas Sarkozy made the comments during a meeting of his ruling Union for a Popular Movement party, saying "France is changing faster and more deeply than we believe" and that "now when there is a strike, no-one notices".

The popular daily Le Parisien commented yesterday: "His words had the effect of a bomb." Militant union leaders reacted quickly, warning Mr Sarkozy that he "was playing with fire" and, in a thinly veiled threat, suggested that his remarks might encourage strikers to take more aggressive action in future.

"We risk entering into a dangerous spiral for our country," said Maryse Dumas, of the powerful communist-led CGT union.

Mr Sarkozy's comments show "contempt for employees working in the public service and trying to cause the least amount of inconvenience for people", she said. "It is a diversion exercise on the part of the president because he has problems in showing how his policies have succeeded."

Jean-Claude Mailly, secretary-general of the Force Ouvrire trade union, said the president had "once again said one word too many".

The French consider taking to the streets in protest against unpopular government measures an inalienable right, thus endowing their country with a reputation as the world capital of strike action. Traffic in Paris regularly grinds to a halt because of marches through the city centre involving tens of thousands of people.

Strikes have brought down governments and prime ministers and French leaders have regularly backed down over much-needed reforms in the face of public protest.

Far from being exasperated, the French show uncomplaining solidarity with the strikers, cheerfully walking to work or waiting hours for the only packed commuter train still running in a transport strike.

Shortly after taking office just over a year ago, Mr Sarkozy ushered in a law requiring minimum service of public transport during its strikes. His drive to ensure minimum service in schools during teachers' strikes so that parents do not have to find emergency child care provoked anger from parents who complain that he is breaking the effectiveness of the strike.

With all this public support, it is surprising to learn that the French now strike less than at any time for 30 years, passing from four million strike days in 1976 to 1.2 million in 2005, the last year for which statistics are available.