Sarkozy vs. Unions- Who Will Win?

There is an interesting social dynamic playing out in France right now, and if you are traveling there this could affect your ability to get around. The unions are making their first major challenge to President Nicolas Sarkozy. He set as one of the goals during his campaign the elimination of a particular benefit enjoyed by certain government employed public service workers, that is, the right to retire at the age of 50. This privilege had been made law in the past for certain categories of workers, in particular those who work for the SNCF, the national railroad company, which is of course owned by the state. The rationale at the time this law was adopted was that at 50 years of age a person is no longer physically capable to perform some critical functions, like driving trains, for example.

Sarkozy feels that the law is outdated and is unfair. In addition he wants to save the government some 7-9 billion euros per year (if the figures I have read are accurate). For those not aware, retirements in France are financed by the state.

The unions of course don’t want to give up this privilege, so they called a strike last week, and a large number of people, especially those who would benefit from this privilege, went out on strike. This caused transport to come to a virtual halt in many areas, especially in Paris where the strike lasted several days, catching many people off guard.

Normally in a case like this where a large number of people hit the streets and make a mess of the country, the government gives in quickly and negotiates some sort of deal so normality can return. This time, however, Sarkozy and his government have been adamant and have refused to back off. There are some subsequent ongoing discussions between the government and the unions, but to date no one has changed a position, and the unions have threatened to call more strikes in November.

A poll just released indicated that 68% of French people are not favorable to the claims of the unions, so it appears Sarkozy has a good deal of support from the general public. The unions have the power to bring things to a halt, however, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. A related issue being debated is “guaranteed minimum service”. This means that during periods of strikes a minimum number of trains and other means of transport would be guaranteed so people can get to and from work and home. Of course the unions don’t want this either as it lessens the effectiveness of their strikes and their ability to get what they want out of the government.

A page has certainly turned in France with the election of Sarkozy. The events of the next few weeks and months will have a lot to say about how effectively he can execute his campaign promises and how much, if any, the unions will be forced to back off.

If you travel to France any time soon, keep an eye on whether strikes will cause you difficulty. In fact the flight attendants of Air France are also on strike right now and many Air France flights are being cancelled.

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