Printer-friendly versionSend to friend

By Doug Cunningham

French transportation workers are continuing their struggle against right-wing government reforms that will force them to work longer before retiring. Helene Bonneau of the French labor federation CGT says it’s really a fight against a broader government agenda to attack workers' benefits across the board.

[Bonneau]: "What's at stake with this strike is that the government wants to apply on all of us – all French workers – the same rule, which is to say not only working 40 years and contributing to the system for 40 years, but they have also already planned for us to work 41 and even 42 years. Sarkozy, when he came into power, decided that he would break with all the past, all the regulations of labor law, and give lots of new advantages to employers."