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Protesters march on Paris
PARIS, France -- Tens of thousands of French workers marched through Paris during a day of protest against plans for partial privatisation. Energy workers, led by employees of Electricite de France (EdF) and Gaz de France, argue privatising state-run companies does not work and fear it will lead to job losses and poorer pension rights. The demonstration is the first major organised union protest against the privatisation policy being pursued by Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, whose centre-right government took over in June after five years of left-wing rule. Unions said anywhere from 60,000 to 100,000 protesters turned out, while police put the turnout at about 40,000. CNN's Paula Hancocks described the marchers as "bitter towards the French government." "They say privatisation has been proven not to work in the past. They give the examples of Enron, WorldCom and France Telecom, saying these companies got in trouble because they were privatised," she added. Force Ouvriere union leader Marc Blondel told Reuters, "When people go into the street, the government has to draw the necessary conclusions." The crowd marched from eastern Paris's Place de la Nation under the banner "All Together in the name of Public Service."
Bernard Thibault, head of the CGT union, said: "The government would be well advised to assess the situation carefully. It cannot behave as if its economic and social policies have got the stamp of approval." Government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope told Reuters, "The message has been heard loud and clear. It's their right to do this." European Commissioner Mario Monti, in charge of competition policy in the 15-nation European Union, told France Inter radio: "Europe is totally indifferent to whether the capital of EdF and GdF is in public or private hands. "The commission is neutral on this. What we want is to put an end to monopolies, which are bad for consumers." Simultaneously, Air France was hit by a 24-hour strike called by trade unions over state plans to push the majority of the airline's capital into private hands.
The company called the strike a "failure" but said some 60 flights were cancelled. Air France said it worked to rebook passengers on other flights to get them to their destinations. Last month, Air France was hit by a four-day strike by pilots over pay and conditions. (Full story) The pilots have been calling for a 10 percent pay rise in addition to the 7 percent won within the last year, the airline said. Management has offered 3 percent.
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When people go into the street, the government has to draw the necessary conclusions.
