France: Going off The Tracks

France’s worst outbreak of public strikes since the 1960s grew increasingly turbulent last week. Sparked by walkouts of rail and maritime workers last month, the stoppages cut train service by up to 80%, leaving thousands of travelers stranded, and virtually halted activity in many of the country’s major ports. Strikers blocked rail lines and harassed workers who remained on the job. In Paris, police were called out to clear the tracks for the few trains that still ran.

At week’s end maritime workers and the government reached a provisional accord containing concessions for the strikers. The rail strike continued unabated, however, and France’s largest labor group, the Confederation Generale du Travail, called for stoppages in public utilities and Paris bus and Metro service to support demands for higher wages and work-rule changes. The deepening confrontation came just weeks after Premier Jacques Chirac bowed to student protesters in December by withdrawing plans to reform France’s universities.