(Fwd) Strikes hit French rail, air, sea traffic

["Curtis Price" <cansv@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date:          Fri, 25 Apr 1997 09:18:33 -0700
From:          NewsHound <speak@xxxxxxxxx>

Reply-to:      speak@xxxxxxxxx
Subject:       Strikes hit French rail, air, sea traffic



Here is your NewsHound news article from your "STRIKES" hound with a score "79."  For more information, visit the NewsHound website at http://www.newshound.com or send an email to speak@xxxxxxxxxx


Posted at 7:22 a.m. PDT Friday, April 25, 1997
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>>Strikes<< hit French rail, air, sea traffic


PARIS (Reuter) - >>Strikes<< disrupted French air, sea and rail traffic
Friday, halting many trains, cutting half the flights at airlines Air
France Europe, TAT and Air Liberte and stranding ferries to Corsica and
Tunisia.

Train conductors who had been due to end a 36-hour >>strike<< over wages
and working conditions at 8 a.m. (2 a.m. EDT) extended their protest in
various regions.

Trains cannnot leave without conductors who are responsible for safety, and
the state railway company SNCF said traffic was heavily disrupted, with the
south of the country worst hit.

One third of high-speed trains were running between Paris, Lyon, Marseille
and Toulouse. Two thirds ran to Bordeaux. Regional trains were cut by one
third to two thirds.

Eurostar trains between Paris and London and high-speed links to Brussels
were unaffected.

Six >>trade<< >>unions<< called the >>strike<< over wages and working
conditions, a new sign of labor unrest and opposition to the government's
austerity measures to comply with budget criteria to join the single
European currency.

Austerity and the euro are major issues in the current campaign for early
elections set for May 25 and June 1.

Air France Europe cut flights by 55 percent Friday as pilots began a
two-day >>strike<< over reforms of their pay and working conditions in a
merger with parent company Air France.

An airline spokesman said he expected similar disruption on Saturday.

Air Liberte and TAT, French units of British Airways, again cancelled
almost half of their flights due to a two-week-old >>strike<< by pilots and
cabin crew who say a merger of the two airlines will affect their pay and
conditions.

A spokesman for the two airlines said they had cancelled 40 percent of
flights Friday and would cancel 30 percent on Saturday and 40 percent
Sunday.



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