Highlights
-Commuter rail traffic stopped due to transport strike
-French President Nicolas Sarkozy touts intended pension “privilege” reforms
-Amidst a decline in public support Sarkozy will remain steadfast
On October 18, 2007, public transportation in Paris came to a halt as suburban trains and buses suspended service and scores of subway stations closed signaling the start of a transport strike that lasted two full days (Civil Unrest).
The walkout began to protest plans by newly installed French President Nicolas Sarkozy to overhaul early retirement packages for public-sector employees.
The two-day strike was the first test of Sarkozy’s highly anticipated economic reforms. Amid staunch opposition to plans leveling the playing field for French public-sector employees, and a rapidly crumbling public persona, Sarkozy remains steadfast in his plans to reform and rejuvenate the French economy.
The October 2007 transport strike is the first of many public pushbacks we expect to see during Sarkozy’s inaugural year in office. However, as we have seen in the past, Sarkozy’s resolve will likely prevail.
France Comes to Standstill
Throughout the duration of the October strike, French national rail operator, SCNF, reported one in five trains continued to operate according to schedule on the highly traveled RER B Line that provides service to Charles de Gaulle International Airport and carries upwards of 700,000 commuters to work each day.
Commuters dependent on commuter rail service from Paris’s Gare du Nord station also faced limited service.
On Monday, October 22, 2007, train service returned as strikes wound down. SCNF reported its high-speed TGV trains were operating normally and the Paris transport authority, RATP, stated service was “almost normal” with the exception of two commuter rail lines.
Not the First and Likely Not the Last
For the first time since calling a similar strike in 1995, all eight of the Paris metro region’s railway unions participated in the October 2007 strike.
In 1995, union leaders waged four weeks of strikes protesting a similar pension reform plan. Amid public outcry, union leaders successfully forced the hand of the government culminating in a complete abandonment of its plans. It appears for veteran union activists like Bernard Thibault, leader of the communist-backed Confederation Generale du Travail, the nation’s largest rail union, the October 2007 strike was a chance to once more demonstrate the industry’s might only this time at an unyielding President Sarkozy.
Despite strong opposition to it the pension reform plan hardly comes as a surprise. Representing the center-right, Sarkozy won the presidency on an election platform promising an end to privilege regimes that allow railway, electricity, and energy workers to retire as early as 50 years of age on full pensions while their counterparts in the public sector must work until age 60.
The two-day transit strike was not the first France has seen and it will likely not be the last during Sarkozy’s inaugural year in office.
Sarkozy Stays Strong
Facing intense scrutiny and a souring public persona, President Sarkozy remains steadfast in his calls for reform. Attending a EU summit in Portugal throughout the duration of the transit strike, Sarkozy announced he would maintain his “open door” policy to negotiations, however maintained the pension reforms would go ahead as planned.
Further, touting the current pension arrangements as relics of the past, Sarkozy announced, “I am committed to this reform. It will happen.”
We believe Sarkozy’s plans for wide-reaching economic reforms will continue to spark outrage among the French public. However, his reputation for success and strong convictions will likely prevail in future public debates. Disruptions will likely continue to occur in the near to mid-term.
