Un Gros Grève.... Encore

The government decided yesterday morning that they will NOT negotiate with the train and metro unions about the retirement age... donc, il y aura un grève qui commencera à 20h le 13 novembre. This time, the strike is indefinite... meaning it will last as long as it can last. I have an exam in French class on the 14th! ...my best option right now is to WALK for two hours to get to class =(. my professor decided this date knowing that we will have the strike. he said, well if we canceled things every time we had a strike in France, we'd get nothing done.. plus, it'll be a nice morning walk in cold gray Paris =D (i wish you could've heard his sarcasm.)

My other professor said that the trains and metro forces hope to be so strong that they can make the strike last from the 13th until the 20th, the day when the entire public sector goes on strike....

oh la la.

I have a feeling that I will be experiencing something quite extraordinary in the coming couple of weeks... i just HOPE it will only last a couple of weeks. =\

So here's a quick low-down:

The trains and metro unions are striking because the government wants to raise their age of retirement. Of course, they don't want that. Also, Sarkozy (he was at the White House yesterday actually, eating with Bush) made a new law in the summer that forbids the metro strikes to completely shut down the city... so starting from January 2008, if they ever go on strike, they must be running at least 30% of the trains.. He's trying to make them less strong. And so.. since this will be the last time they can have a full blown strike, I'm quite sure they'll show Paris how strong they can be.

The public sector (teachers, nurses, post office, telephone company, etc) are striking because Sarkozy wants to cut down the deficit by replacing only 1 out of every 2 civil servants who retire... that's cutting the sector by HALF... so they're upset, naturally (but most of them are useless anyways). This reminds me, I'm going to send the rest of my postcards by tomorrow! Otherwise, mail will definitely get lost---not even just put on hold... but completely lost.

Just last week, the fishermen went on strike because the soaring oil prices make it impossible to make enough money to pay for fuel and the boats and still earn a living. Actually, they got what they wanted... Sarkozy is using government money to help them pay for fuel and they will be taxed less for their employees.

Now, the agriculture sector wants to strike too (and I am sure they will set a date soon)... because they have to pay for oil too. And they want a break as well.

Some university students are striking (the really left wing ones) because the government wants to give universities more autonomy--which I think is a good thing. This is a really really small reform though compared to the rest.

Lawyers were on strike today... because one of the ministries (i forget the exact name) wants to close down the small courts like in the rural areas of France. Both privately employed and public ones are striking.

c'est très incroyable... sigh. i want to see what 20th will be like.

Mais, c'est normal... it's a new government, the people want changes, want new reforms, the economy is not doing so great and if they don't keep it at a certain level, France can be kicked out of the European Union... and Sarkozy made all these promises in his campaign.

Normally, the president will try to propose a lot of reforms in July and August... (heh, everyone's on vacation for the month of August)... and then Sept, Oct, Nov, when everyone comes back... the people go on strike. =)

I will be sure to update you on my two hour walks to class.... two hour walks back home... next week.

OH! and we're supposed to be going to Geneva, Switzerland on the 17th until the 20th... We're supposed to be coming BACK to Paris on a train on the 20th..... hah, we'll see how it all goes.... on verra... on verra.

on a side note... but not off-topic. Writer's are striking in Manhattan (more of books and magazines) and Los Angeles (more screenwriters). They want a bigger percentage of their sales. I think especially for writers of TV shows because a lot of the episodes are streamed online and the sales of their DVDs are low. A lot of talk shows were taken off air, as well as 24 and Lost. Heroes, in its second season (REALLY GOOD).... is going to stop their second season on the 11th episode (currently just finished 7th episode).

I agree that they deserve their money and credit for their work. but there are also lots of other people who could definitely be paid better...like teachers. i guess if they went on strike, it might not be as effective(?)