French Trade Unions Stage 4 October Actions

Tomorrow, a general strike will occur throughout France, called by the nation’s five major trade union confederations. French workers are saying no to privatisations, no to the new jobs contract proposed by the government, no to erosion of job security, and yes to public service investments and fair pay gains. Some 140 public demonstrations will be held across France, and a weekend opinion poll says 74% of French citizens support the day of actions. The strike has postponed—at least temporarily—a government campaign to promote partial privatisation of Electricité de France (EDF). Release of analysts’ reports of EDF’s initial public offering commissioned by the government have been ordered delayed until after 4 October strikes.