Strikes turn to Guerrilla Warfare

23/10/2010

In principle, the strikes of last Tuesday have ended – except in a few cases where the workers voted to have open ended strikes. Some workers continued on strike on Wednesday (and beyond). For example, my flight from Paris to Nice was delayed by about two and a half hours because the continued strike by some of the air traffic controllers caused limitations in take-off slots at Orly airport for domestic flights.

Things are getting back to normal. The Paris metro is largely normal in its operation. Some of the Paris suburban lines are still on partial strike with as low as 50% service. Some have returned to full service. The national rail system is more slowly coming back to normal. The majority of trains are running. (50-90% depending on the line.)

But.

Strikes have turned to guerilla warfare by the unions against the government. Rather than the predeclared strikes, the unions are engaging in sudden unannounced actions to disrupt things. For example, there have been blockades of roads leading to airports – until the police clear them out. There have been groups of people demonstrating on the train tracks and blocking commuter rail traffic – until the police clear them out. Etc., etc., etc.

The biggest problem has been the strikes and blockades at the petroleum refineries and distribution depots – as well covered on television. The majority of the refineries have been closed because of strikes and a large number of distribution depots blockaded by demonstrators. The result is that some quarter of the country filling stations have run dry – a higher percentage in some regions. The refineries are very highly unionized – even more than the rail system. Shutting down the petroleum system is a strategy to put pressure on the government – especially at the beginning of the fall school vacations when many families will be wanting to go away on vacation.

But the impact is also very severe on the French economy. After days of waiting, the government took action by using its emergency powers to requisition a major refinery in the Paris region and its workers – ordering them back to work. Seen on television in the morning, the union leader at the refinery was clearly very angry. The union went to court and had the requisition order cancelled (The right to strike is in the French constitution.) and the government has issued a more limited and focused requisition order. The arm wrestling continues.

The danger in all of this is radicalization and increased confrontation. Some of the union groups tend to be more radical and there is the risk that the national management of the unions could lo longer be able to keep control of the actions of some of its members. For example, the petroleum sector is highly unionized and the members of those locals tend to be more radical.

By their actions, the relatively small percentage of French workers who are union activists are taking hostage the French public by their actions. The economic loss for the country is considerable.

One wonders how long the French public will tolerate the strikes and blockages. An interesting contradiction is that while most people who I speak with are fed up with the unions and their actions, a small majority of the public supports the need for the union actions. This means that while the public is fed up with the strikes and disruptions, they are even more fed up with this government of President Sarkozy – his methods, his style, and his not keeping his promises that got him elected.

I have been in Nice for several days. Other than my flight delay leaving Paris Orly on Wednesday, things have been calm. As I complete this, my flight from Nice to Paris is shown as being on time.

Things are coming back to normal but the risk of deterioration is there. We do 'live in interesting times'.

That is how I see things.

We still do need to talk about the reason for this conflict and managing strategic change, French style.

Mark Louis Uhrich

Nice, France, 23 October 2010

©Copyright Mark Uhrich

A Strike Day in France

14/10/2010

Tuesday was another strike day in France. In another posting, I will go into the reason. But, first, I would like to talk about strikes in France.

Depending on what source you use for your news, you may have gotten the impression that things were in chaos and that the country was paralyzed – shut down.

Well, not really. Remember that an important rule is not to believe everything that you read or see on television. With the right camera angle, one can make even a group of 15 look like a revolution.

Yes, in France, we have strikes and demonstrations – almost on a recurring basis. In a way, it is street theatre – a kind of continuation of the French revolution. Lacking another way to get those in power to listen, the powerless workers and students (read the peasants) take to the street to express their frustration and anger against those in power – the government and heads of large corporations (read the royalty) - in an attempt to be heard.

But, even if street theatre, the social conflict is real. (More about that in another posting.)

With the strikes, there are marches of demonstrators with banners and making noise. Tuesday, there were demonstrations and marches in major cities across France. Depending on who's numbers you believe (the police or the unions), there were some 1.2 to 3.5 million demonstrators. The reality is probably somewhere in between.

In Paris, the marches of demonstrators follow routes that are planned in advance – generally ending at the Place de la Bastille ― symbolic because that is where where the French revolution began with the storming of the hated Bastille prison. Things are organized well in advance with the police and, at the end, the demonstrators roll up their banners and go home to march another day.

We have had very serious strikes in the past. The strikes of then Prime Minister Alain Juppé in 1995 were the largest since the student revolts in May '68. The '95 strikes lasted for about two weeks and basically shut down the country until M. Juppé called off the 'reforms' that he had imposed. Since then, there have been several other serious strikes although progressively less serious.

The labor unions are an important (and noisy) political force in France. However, the number of workers who are active union members is a continuing diminishing percentage. The power of the unions remains strongest in the so called 'public service' sector of transportation (rail, metro, air traffic controllers), postal service, education, etc. and in certain large formerly government owned companies – including oil refineries. It is those sectors that get hit by the strikes. Thus, even if the unions have decreasing power in the economy at large, they have a potential strangle hold on key sectors.

(As a note, all companies in France of more than a certain number of employees have employee committees and employee representatives. The people in those positions are frequently union activists and are elected by the employees. We had that at the school of management where I was a professor. However, that does not mean that the employees themselves are union members. Nevertheless, some companies are unionized and traditional industrial labor actions do occur.)

You might think that strikes in the 'public service' sector is strange and should not be allowed. Personally, I would agree. But the right to strike is in the French constitution and the French political structure has not (yet) had the (suicidal) will to try to change that – even if much or most of the population does not agree with the strikes.

Things are changing.

Since the great 'Juppian' strikes of '95, the general population (us) is less and less accepting of the strikes. Two serious strikes in recent years had such negative reaction by the population that it almost resulted in violence by the population against the strikers.

And things are better organized. We do have sudden walk-outs – such as if a bus or train driver is attached. Those are aggravating but understandable.

The intention to strike is announced well in advance by the unions – part of putting pressure on the government and getting themselves organized. We have known about this strike several weeks in advance. So with that, we moan, write “strike day” on our calendars , and plan accordingly.

A law was passed to assure “minimum service” in the public service sectors – especially public transport, child care, and several other. Under it, employees are to declare two days in advance if they will strike or work. With that, things can be organized. For transportation for example, we know 1-2 days in advance which trains will will run. Lists are posted in the stations and on the internet sites giving us the advance information. We are inconvenienced but we can plan accordingly.

This strike has followed the norm. For us, the suburban trains and metro were less than normal but we got to work and back home. (Part of our choice to live in Maisons-Laffitte was a strategic decision based on the fact that our station is served by two train lines.) The mail was delivered. Most long distance trains were cancelled but fewer flights were cancelled than had been predicted. As frequently happens, the unions voted the continuation of the strikes (especially in the south of France). But things are returning to normal. The Paris metro service is mostly back to normal. The regional and longer distance train service is more slowly returning to normal.

There are several points of concern as I write this. One is that most of the refineries in France are on strike. However, the good news is that the storage depots are full, we can import refined gasoline and fuel from elsewhere in Europe, and France has strategic reserves that can be used. (Yes, even though we don't use it much, I did fill up the Twingo last Friday.) Another concern is the risk that the strikes get more generalized and degenerate to violence. The unions have just announced that next Tuesday the 19th will be another strike day and they engage in their war of force against the government plan to reform the retirement system – currently being voted in the Senate. And, what about the students? Will the public accept more strikes?

In brief, stay tuned.

Yes dear reader, we have strikes in France. But but even with all the noise, the situation is (usually) rather civilized and not nearly as bad as the news on TV would have you think. But, the social conflict is there. And, with that, the risk of things degenerating and becoming more serious.

You may not agree with me but, That is how I see things.

Next, the reason for this conflict and managing strategic change, French style.

Mark Louis Uhrich

Maisons-Laffitte, France, 14 October 2010