Up to 80% Flights Suspended in France

France, already swayed by workers‘ protests and strikes for days in opposition to state-sponsored pension reform, suffered a transporting disruption yesterday. Airport union workers, joined by control center operators and airport staff, have gone on strike for 24 hours to bring 80% of domestic flights to a standstill. On the same day, only 30% of international flights on schedule operated on the European continent.

The cancellation of flights, in turn, provoked passengers at local airports including Charles de Gaulle to complaints and demanding refunds. Some passengers changed their transportation into trains while some crossed the border to Belgium and took outbound flights. Some schools were closed yesterday as teachers from five separate unions also joined the labor strikes.

Yesterday`s walkout was motivated by the French Parliament`s move to propose the pension reform bill as an agenda at the cabinet meeting, led by the Prime Minister Pierre Raffarin on the following day. The government`s final plans will extend the pension contribution from the current 37.5 years to 40 years along with the payment increase. The French government plans to lay the bill before Parliament during next month and implement it from the second half of this year.

Once the pension reform bill passed in Parliament on May 28, France will face tougher resistance from the labor community. The state-run telecoms and postal service are expected to join the labor opposition. Besides, SNCF, a state rail operator, along with RATP unionists are expected to take to the streets on June 2. If so, people may witness another 1995 nightmare, in which the three-week nationwide walkout paralyzed the nation‘s logistics network. The 1995 strike finally led the then administration to give up its pension reform drive.

The problem is that fiscal constraints of the pension system is suffering and is more severe than ever before. If let to go unchecked, the pension system will have accumulated about 50 billion euros (equivalent to 7 trillion won) by 2020. This serious situation explains how the nation`s second biggest labor union, or CFDT, approved of the government’s reform bill.

Yet, a recent public poll showed that over 60% of the public sympathized with the labor community. The French public, however, was against the public teachers‘ boycott as these educators were shirking their school responsibilities. Some civic groups have shown strong opposition against the protesters.

Traditionally, labor unions in France have been aggressive enough to back the government off, but this time shows a little different developments.

Jei-Gyoon Park phark@donga.com