The world as I see it.
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