法國昨日爆發(fā)全國罷工
Strikers deliver France stimulus verdict
French trade unions staged a national strike yesterday sending a powerful message of protest against the economic policy and reform programme of Nicolas Sarkozy, president.
The one-day stoppage caused disruption to rail, air and local transport and to public services, especially schools, but early indications suggested that participation in the strikes was slightly lower than the last such day of industrial action on January 29.
However, the government was bracing itself for mass demonstrations on the streets of Paris and across France later in the day in support of a further economic stimulus package, an end to public sector reforms and action to stop companies from laying off workers.
It was the scale of demonstrations on January 29 – involving up to 2.5m marchers – rather than the strikes themselves that spurred Mr Sarkozy to produce an extra €2.6bn ($3.6bn, ￡2.5bn) in welfare payments and tax cuts for low-income families.
The concessions were judged insufficient by union leaders, but the government has made it clear it will not be promising any further significant measures in the short term. Mr Sarkozy had intended to keep a low profile at an European Union summit in Brussels, and leave it to Fran?ois Fillon, the prime minister, to respond to the strike in a television interview yesterday evening. Ségolène Royal, the former presidential candidate, waded into the confrontation yesterday, accusing the government of being “scornful, incompetent and obstinate“”.
Alain Juppé, the former centre-right prime minister whose government was paralysed by strikes in 1995, warned Mr Sarkozy not to be “arrogant“” in the face of public anguish amid the economic crisis.
Social tensions have increased across France in the last seven weeks and relations between union leaders and employers' organisations have become severely strained.
An ongoing strike by students and university staff against university reforms has periodically threatened to spill over into violence, adding a sense of urgency.
法國工會昨日發(fā)起全國罷工，這傳遞了一個有力信息，表明工會反對法國總統(tǒng)尼古拉?薩科奇(Nicolas Sarkozy)的經(jīng)濟(jì)政策和改革計(jì)劃。
此次為期一天的罷工導(dǎo)致鐵路、航空和國內(nèi)交通以及公共服務(wù)中斷，特別是學(xué)校，但初步跡象顯示，參加罷工的人數(shù)略少于1月29日的上次罷工。
然而，法國政府正做好準(zhǔn)備迎接當(dāng)天晚些時候在巴黎以及全國各地爆發(fā)的游行示威活動，這些示威旨在支持進(jìn)一步經(jīng)濟(jì)刺激計(jì)劃、叫停公共部門改革并采取措施阻止企業(yè)裁員。
正是1月29日的示威規(guī)?！涡姓哌_(dá)250萬人——而非罷工本身，導(dǎo)致薩科奇再推出26億歐元(合36億美元)針對低收入家庭的福利支出和減稅措施。
工會領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層認(rèn)為這些讓步還不夠，但法國政府明確表示，短期內(nèi)將不會承諾采取進(jìn)一步重大措施。薩科奇此前有意在布魯塞爾一次歐盟(EU)峰會上保持低調(diào)，讓法國總理弗朗索瓦?菲永(Francois Fillon)在昨日晚間的電視采訪中對此次罷工做出回應(yīng)。法國前總統(tǒng)候選人塞戈萊納?羅亞爾(Segolene Royal)昨日對政府發(fā)起猛烈攻擊，批評政府“傲慢、不勝任且頑固“”。
法國中間偏右的前總理阿蘭?朱佩(Alain Juppe)警告薩科奇，在經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)的形勢下，面對公眾的痛苦不要表現(xiàn)出“傲慢“”。1995年的罷工曾令朱佩領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的法國政府陷入癱瘓。
過去七周，法國社會緊張局勢加劇，工會領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人和雇主組織之間的關(guān)系也變得非常緊張。
學(xué)生和大學(xué)員工正在進(jìn)行的反對大學(xué)改革的罷工，不時顯現(xiàn)升級為暴力的跡象，這平添了一種緊張感。
