NEWS: Civil servants and teachers join Frances rolling wave of strikes, page 1

Over 300,000 teachers have joined the ongoing civil servant strike in France setting off waves of disruptions throughout the country. The workers are striking over wages and benefits. In some cities, all flights had to be canceled because air traffic controllers walked off the job. Hospital workers in droves are also joining the picketing.

story.news.yahoo.com
PARIS (AP) - Hundreds of thousands of teachers, hospital workers and civil servants walked off the job Thursday, joining a rolling wave of strikes to pressure France's conservative government over wages and benefits.

Around 45 per cent of the 687,400 teaching personnel in French public schools joined the strike over a hiring squeeze and other complaints about government policies, the Education Ministry said.

All daytime flights to and from Bordeaux's airport in the southwest - 91 flights in all - were cancelled because air traffic controllers joined the protests.

The action follows strikes by postal workers, surgeons in public hospitals and rail workers, who caused widespread disruptions Wednesday for train users.

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That can cause quite a mess. A few years back, out union went out on strike at the hospital and it caused quite a disruption. I can only imagine what a nationwide strike would do here in the U.S. I have not seen what exactly their issues are, but their working conditions seems pretty good. They have a 35 hour work week and vacation time that would make most of us green with envy.

[edit on 20-1-2005 by ZeddicusZulZorander]