Guest Post by Bill Bonner
PARIS – “Trump declares war on Europe,” says today’s headline in Le Monde.
We came over on the ferry from Southern Ireland. It takes longer than flying. But we have our car here, which makes it easier to get around – especially when the trains aren’t running.
“They got their benefits fair and square. They don’t want to give them up.”
A friend was explaining why railway employees were on strike. At issue, apparently, are employment contracts that give SNCF (France’s state-owned railway company) workers some pretty juicy plums:
“A conductor can retire at 52, with full pension… and, of course, their families get to travel on the trains for free. These contracts were negotiated during the heyday of union power in France. Now, they seem a little out-of-date. And more than we can afford.
“Twenty years ago, a strike like this would have shut down the entire country. Now, people are pretty blasé about it. There are usually some trains running, even when it’s a strike day.”
When you go on the website to buy a train ticket, you are told that you “cannot reserve a ticket because of a social movement [a strike].” Then, you are directed to a calendar that tells you which days will be strike days.
Typically, strikes end in late June. French workers don’t strike during vacation season.
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