p2pnet news | Off Topic:- The only people not finding it hard, or even impossible, to go to work in France, today, are those who use the Net or who operate home-based enterprises.

Because public transport workers put president Nicolas Sarkozy’s reform plans to the test with a 24-hour strike in defence of pension privileges, says Agency France-Presse, going on:

Nationwide rail traffic was at a near standstill with just 46 TGV high-speed trains running out of the normal 700, and Paris metro and bus networks laid on only a skeleton service.

Police reported 165 kilometres (100 miles) of traffic jams on access roads into the capital - twice the normal amount. Many walked or rode bicycles to work, and the capital’s new Velib self-service bicycle scheme was much in demand.

Says AFP:

Singers and actors at the Paris Opera and the Comedie Francaise, who also have “special” regimes, announced they will refuse to appear Thursday in scheduled performances of “La Traviata” and “Le Malade Imaginaire”.

Some teachers, electricity and gas workers, journalists and civil servants will also stop work, the story goes on, adding:

“However fears of disruption at airports proved unfounded, with the civil aviation authority DGAC reporting ‘everything normal’. Provincial towns and cities also suffered less disruption than anticipated on their bus and metro lines.”

The strike is slated to end tonight but, “Thousands of British rugby fans face travel chaos on their way to the World Cup final this weekend” after Paris transport workers voted to extend the industrial action, says the Telegraph.

Slashdot it!

Also See:
Agency France-Presse - French commuters struggle to work as transport strike bites, October 18, 2007
Telegraph - Paris transport workers vote to extend strike, October 18, 2007

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 18th, 2007 at 5:46 am and is filed under Off Topic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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