Article

2003-06-10 Europe

More Strikes as France Debates Pension Reform

EFL, Chirac: Apres Moi, Le Deluge; Continuation of yesterday's posts
PARIS - French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin presented a politically sensitive pension reform bill to parliament Tuesday, as striking public sector workers gridlocked much of the country in protest. Tens of thousands marched through Paris and other cities calling for unions to have a say in any reform, as the third nationwide strike in a month slashed public transport services and caused huge traffic jams.

Holding a sign and hollering is a lot easier than working...

Unions are seething at plans to make people pay into the pension system for longer to counter a financing crunch as the postwar "baby boom" generation retires. "With the demographic changes, there are fewer and fewer paying into the system and more and more taking money out of it. This is a necessary reform and everybody knows it," Raffarin told the National Assembly lower house of parliament. "Without reform we will need 43 billion euros in 2020 and more than double that in 2040 to save our pension system. This reform will already produce 18 billion euros."

Tuesday's strike — joined by postal, bank, port and telecoms workers, hospital staff and police — caps a week of sporadic transport chaos in the capital. A fifth of the country's teachers also walked out.

Posted by Frank G 2003-06-10 01:17 pm|| || Front Page|| [17 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Reganize 'em: Pick one public service union, and fire them all. Hire new workers. Watch the others start posessing Clue(tm)...

Posted by mojo 2003-06-10 14:29:18|| 2003-06-10 14:29:18|| Front Page Top

#2 Worked for The Gipper.

Haven't heard about federal problems with Public Employee Unions since then.

Posted by OldSpook 2003-06-10 18:02:46|| 2003-06-10 18:02:46|| Front Page Top

#3 2 questions for you Aris.
1)How does France's economy look to you know?
2)What do you think of the EU coming up with 43bill.Euros to pay for French pensions?

Posted by raptor 2003-06-10 18:32:05|| 2003-06-10 18:32:05|| Front Page Top

#4 If they reduce the work week to 25 hours, they could have 15 more hours for protests, plus it would help their pension system.

Posted by RW 2003-06-10 19:09:00|| 2003-06-10 19:09:00|| Front Page Top

#5 If you havent read the articles in FrontPage Magazine the past few days about the "death of france" part 1 and 2, go to their site (sorry I dont have the link) and check it out..It is a startling look a a society in decline....one things for sure...the French need to stop worrying about the US and take care of their own backyard.....

Also, some advice to Tony Blair...Re; the EU and Euro.....RUN!!!!!!Dont look back!!!!!!!!!!!France and Belguim are on their way OUT...Dont hitch Britains future to dying cultures..

Posted by debbie 2003-06-10 21:24:24|| 2003-06-10 21:24:24|| Front Page Top

#6 raptor>

1) Umm, about the same as it always did?
2) The *EU* coming up with 43 billion Euros? As far as I know the pension system isn't a part of EU competences, so why should EU pay the bill?

Posted by Aris Katsaris 2003-06-10 22:19:55|| 2003-06-10 22:19:55|| Front Page Top

#7 Chiraq show some balls? Oh, sure. That'll happen.

Posted by tu3031 2003-06-10 22:21:58|| 2003-06-10 22:21:58|| Front Page Top

#8 Aris: I thought you were the guy who said if "New York is attacked, Texas fights" as a way of describing the direction that the EU was taking, i.e., nations becoming states in a federal system. If that's so, you damn well better believe that whoever happens to be the "sick man" of the EU in years to come is going to put the arm on everyone else. You can count on it, my friend. In fact, the French ARE counting on it. There is no way, given their poor work ethic, lousy productivity, unbalanced demographics and retirement policies that the French can create the funds they need for pensions and social services on their own. ZERO.

The French aren't stupid, they've known for decades where the demographics are going. Why the hell do you think they've been the EU's biggest promoters? Because they want Greeks to have a better life? Hah.

Sure, it's true that the EU doesn't have to cover French pensions now. But how about five-ten-15 years from now as the EU moves inexhorably towards becoming a single nation-state?

Don't think that's going to happen? Then why the unified currency? Why all the talk of an independent EU military? Why a proposed EU constitution that cuts national governments out of the decisions on foreign policy? Why the giant bureaucracy?

All the elements are in place my friend, and you're going to get exactly what you want: a United States of Europe. And when that happens you're going to find that you can't have the benefits of a federation of states without the costs. You can't say every man for himself when times get tough. Well, you can, but Europeans wouldn't do that to each other would they? With their history of getting along oh these many centuries?

Perhaps Greeks will have no problem at all paying higher taxes to cover the enormous deficits run up in France, and probably, Germany as well. After all, it's all for one and one for all, ain't it?

Solidarity, brother!

Posted by R. McLeod 2003-06-11 02:27:07|| 2003-06-11 02:27:07|| Front Page Top

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