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Title: Arsonists hit France's high-speed train lines
Source:
International Tribune
URL Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/21/europe/strike.php
Published: Nov 21, 2007
Author: Doreen Carvajal
Post Date: 2007-11-21 21:00:31 by noone222
Keywords: None
Views: 50
Comments: 1
PARIS: As France's transportation strike moved into its second week Wednesday, arsonists disrupted high-speed train service on four rail lines across the country in what a government official characterized as a "coordinated act of sabotage." The outbreak of early morning fires along electrical lines for the TGV happened hours before the start of talks between transit unions and government officials. The negotiators met for more than four hours and agreed to continue their talks as strike-weary travelers endured the eighth day of a walkout with no end in sight. The vandalism raised the question of whether the rail unions were losing control of militants, but top officials condemned the attacks and said that there was no proof of union involvement. Bernard Thibault, secretary general of the CGT union, admitted that the attacks during a strike were "certainly designed to bring discredit to the profession." As the negotiations began, public attitudes seemed to be hardening against the strikers, according to a survey for the conservative French newspaper Le Figaro. The poll showed that almost 70 percent of those surveyed said the strike was unjustified and the government should not back down from its efforts to eliminate special retirement privileges that allow transit workers to retire in their 50s. Multimedia Information on Paris transport (in French) » View Video: Strikes in France continue » View Related Articles French businesses leaders lament business lost to labor strike Today in Europe Arsonists hit France's high-speed train lines EU officials propose ban on genetically modified corn seeds Putin lashes out at West and domestic critics at election rally Government officials condemned the setting of fires along several electrical-cable lines of the high-speed train network, although they stopped short of blaming the unions. What the government called sabotage - a distinctively French word that dates to the railroad strike of 1910, when workers destroyed the wooden shoes, or sabots, that held rails in place - took place at the start of the commuting day. The state-owned rail operator, SNCF - which operates the high-speed lines - said the fires happened between 6:10 and 6:30 on lines linking Paris to the east, the Atlantic coast to the west, the north and the southeast. SNCF officials also reported other acts of vandalism, such as signal switching and burning rags stuffed into signal boxes. Prime Minister François Fillon told the National Assembly that the government would open an investigation into the incidents and pledged that "the punishment will be very severe." President Nicolas Sarkozy warned that any vandalism would be dealt with "with extreme severity," but he insisted that the government would not be provoked. Some SNCF workers - who operate regional trains, the high-speed lines and other long distance trains - voted Wednesday in several major cities to suspend the strike, but others in Normandy and Nantes voted to continue. On Tuesday, François Chérèque, secretary general of the CFDT, was forced to flee a union rally after jeering members surrounded him to protest his support of negotiations. They hooted and whistled and some carried signs that read, "Chérèque, no knife in our back" and "Yes to unity. No to collaboration." On Wednesday morning, Chérèque participated in a radio interview on Europe 1, where he expressed concerns about some of his membership. "French unions have a real problem with democracy," he said, noting that the majority of his members had decided to return to work. "We have had debates with our militants for four years," he added, "and they know very well that the change in their special retirement benefits is inevitable. That's why we have decided to return to negotiations." Government officials said Wednesday that the number of striking workers had fallen. About one in five were now absent, they said, compared with the start of the strike last week when 61 percent of workers took part. But a minority of workers can still disrupt most train services. By Wednesday afternoon, the SNCF and the Paris transit authority, the RATP, were predicting limited services Thursday but with signs of improvement: Two out of three high-speed trains would be running, they said, three out of four Métro trains in Paris would run and more suburban trains would start back up. After the four hour negotiating session ended Wednesday, Pierre Mongin, chief executive of the RATP, said that he was "satisfied with the constructive meeting" and that "there was no reason for these conditions to prolong a strike." But union leaders did not call for an end to the strike, leaving it to members to vote on whether to resume work. The SNCF union representatives also met for negotiations Wednesday afternoon and the RATP scheduled more talks for next Monday. As those discussions took place, another rally of demonstrators was taking place at the Montparnasse train station in Paris. This time thousands of tobacco sellers marched toward the National Assembly to demand the softening of anti-smoking measures that will start in January. The dizzying round of strikes and walkouts - from firefighters and teachers to weather-service employees and stagehands - is taking a toll on life in Paris. Patrice Crueize, owner of the restaurant L'Entracte near the Opéra Garnier, was infuriated Wednesday: "We've lost something like 40 to 50 percent of our sales since the beginning of the strikes. People don't take time to drink or to eat any more, they go home earlier." The bar draws customers from the neighborhood, along with shoppers and employees from the nearby Galeries Lafayette. "The clients we lose are the people who usually shop at the Galeries Lafayette and the tourists who are now reluctant to visit Paris." World Radio Paris, an English-language Internet station that operates with a large number of volunteers, has canceled some shows and replaced them with reruns. "Our studio is located near Line 8, which is one of the top five worst," said the station's general manager, David Blanc. "Our volunteers have a hard time going to their regular workplace so they prefer avoiding the Métro nightmare when it comes to their unpaid work at the station." Théâtre du Gymnase in northeast Paris has been particularly hard hit. A one-man show featuring François Pirette opened Oct. 3 but he has been absent for the last couple of days. "It's the fifth time he cancels his show due to the strikes," said Jean-Pierre Gautier, one of the theater's directors. "He lives in western France."
Poster Comment: Viva la France !!!
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#1. To: noone222 (#0)
Sarkozy is not amused. ;p news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7106419.stm The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has called for those who sabotaged his country's high-speed TGV rail network to be punished with "extreme severity". Mr Sarkozy asked the justice minister to carry out all necessary inquiries into what the state rail operator, SNCF, called a "concerted campaign". Arsonists burnt tracks and signals, causing delays to services already hit by an eighth day of transport strikes. Earlier, talks were held to try to end the dispute over economic reforms. Managers from SNCF and the Paris public transport operator, RATP, held lengthy meetings with union and government representatives in the capital to try to reach a compromise. There has been no word of a breakthrough, however, and workers are due to vote on Thursday on whether to continue a strike which the government says is costing France hundreds of millions of euros a day. The government has vowed not to back down on its core proposal to reform the "special" pension system. 'Big mistake' In a statement issued on Wednesday morning, the SNCF said there had been "several acts" occurring "at the same time" overnight on lines running north, west, east and south-east out of Paris. It said they included a "very large" fire on the TGV's Atlantic branch that damaged signals affecting 30km (18 miles) of track. At a cabinet meeting, President Sarkozy asked the police to "make sure the perpetrators were punished with the most extreme severity", the secretary of state in charge of transport, Dominique Bussereau, told France 2 TV. Prime Minister Francois Fillon later blamed militant unionists for the "criminal acts". "The matter has been referred to the judicial authorities. Inquiries are under way, and penalties will be very severe," he told reporters. Mr Fillon said the perpetrators of the sabotage had "no doubt" thought they could interrupt negotiations and the resumption of rail services by the SNCF, which he said was "under way". "Well, let me tell them that they have made a big mistake because, on the contrary, this irresponsible strategy makes negotiations and an end to the strike, which is under way, even more necessary," he added. The prime minister finished by saying it was "high time for these strikes to stop" and for transport networks to resume. Union officials also deplored the attacks as acts of vandalism by "cowards", warning that they put people's safety at risk. Bernard Thibault, chief of the powerful CGT railway union, suggested the acts could have been aimed to discredit the strike movement. 'Pyromaniac government' The unions later held three-way talks with the management of the SNCF and RATP and government representatives in Paris. After the meeting, the head of the CGT's branch at the RATP, Gerard Leboeuf, called on transport workers to "take account of public opinion and preserve their forces to have a bearing on the talks if necessary". Nevertheless, Mr Leboeuf said union leaders would not call for an end to the strike, saying workers would be allowed to vote on whether to continue on Thursday. "We're not going to play the role of fire fighters for this pyromaniac government and it's the workers themselves who are going to decide the next step," he added. The next round of talks with the RATP is scheduled for Monday. President Sarkozy has urged protesters to go back to work, saying the strike had "already cost users - and strikers - so dear". The government has said there could be incentives of salary rises and a top-up scheme for pensions. But it has stressed that there will be no budging on the core issue of eliminating special pensions which allow 500,000 transport and utility workers to retire early. Didier Le Rester of France's General Labour Confederation has predicted that the negotiations could last up to a month. Commuter havoc Before the latest incidents, the SNCF had estimated there would be slightly improved rail services on Wednesday as the number of strikers steadily declined. The SNCF claimed that only 22.8% of its staff remained on strike, while the RATP said 16.4% were still refusing to work. The week of strikes has caused havoc for millions of commuters across France. Businesses have started complaining that the strikes are hurting their operations. The president of the Medef employers' association has described the strike as a "catastrophe" of "probably gigantic" cost to the economy. Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has meanwhile said the dispute is costing France up to 400m euros (£290m) a day in lost business. Ron Paul for President - Join a Ron Paul Meetup group today!
This is ludicrous! They are all a bunch of lazy people, and I am personally both enraged and ashamed at their behaviour! 
Paris resident
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