Paris - A new public transport strike loomed in France just
weeks after the mass downing of tools by French railway workers as
the powerful CGT union Saturday called a 24-hour strike for December
13 at SNCF national railway, France Info-Radio reported.
Worker representatives had earlier called a strike at RATP - the
urban transit system serving greater Paris for next Wednesday.
A 10-day railway and public transport strike last month caused
severe traffic problems in France.
Experts have put the costs of the strike at 5 billion euros (7.3
billion dollars) while the government has mentioned daily costs of
300 to 400 million euros.
The labour conflict has arisen over a proposed pension reform that
aims to end certain retirement privileges for some 500,000 workers in
the railway and energy sectors.
Under the reform, rank-and-file union members would have their
years of payment into the pension system increased from 37.5 to 40
years, a proposal the government has vowed not to withdraw.
SNCF has reportedly put forward an offer that would give workers
affected by the reform a supplementary pension and wage hikes toward
the end of their careers, measures that could cost up to 100 million
euros annually.
Talks between employers, unions and government representatives are
currently underway to reach a solution. The unions seek to exert even
more pressure with the renewed strike.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur
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