IOC chiefs by-pass Paris strikers
 |  Paris officials kept the IOC commission well away from striking workers |
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PARIS, France -- Striking French workers took care to express support for Paris's bid to host the 2012 Olympics when the IOC's evaluation commission toured the capital on Thursday.
Many of the estimated 150,000 demonstrators who marched through the streets demanding higher pay and more job security wore T-shirts and caps with the Olympic bid logo.
Head of the Paris committee, Philippe Baudillon, tried to put the best spin on the situation saying: "A candidate city does not conceal its problems; it must show how it resolves them."
Trade unions who called the strikes and demonstrations refused to change the date to avoid a conflict with the IOC's visit.
However, the route of the protest march was changed by organizers to avoid impeding the work of the 13-member commission whose itinerary included the Stade de France, Eiffel Tower and Roland Garros.
The commission had originally been scheduled to travel at least part of the tour by public transport, but the job action crippled the Paris Metro and its suburban rail lines.
Most trade unions support the Olympics bid, primarily because, as CFTD union head Francois Chereque put it, "The Olympics will create jobs."
A recent study by the Boston Consulting Group revealed that if Paris hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics, it would mean 45,000 additional permanent jobs for French workers.
One of the placards held aloft illustrated workers' feelings well: "The Olympics in seven years, higher wages now."
The evaluation commission has already visited Madrid, London and New York, and is scheduled to travel to the fifth city vying to host the 2012 Olympics, Moscow, on March 14.
The winner will be selected by the 117-member IOC on July 6 in Singapore.
