This morning I was listening to NPR and there was a snippet on Sarkozy wanting to increase the age for retirement. There was a bit that stated that one labor union or authority has already committed to a strike on May 15, more were expected.

Has anyone heard anything more on this ? I am going to arrive in Paris on the 14th of May and after hearing stories from my friend who was there in November during the last transit strike, the last thing I'd like is to have no transit or have museums or whatever on strike!

Anyway, if anyone knows anything more please inform me!

This BBC news article mentions it too:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7371285.stm

We arrive for our first ever Paris trip May 16! Hope they can get it sorted out.

A pity they don't do it like they do in the Netherlands - here when there is a dispute (right now)the buses run, but they are free on certain days. The drivers don't stamp strippenkaarts or sell tickets. The public benefit, the employers suffer, solution found quickly(hopefully) and with a minimum of pain all round.
I hope they get it resolved for you both, and anyone else visiting Paris at that time.

Can someone provide more info on what happened during the last strike? If transit is on strike, does that include taxis and shuttles? I arrive in Paris on the morning of May 15. Any insight into what the impact will be if this does occur would be greatly appreciated so I can plan ahead accordingly.

Thanks!

This happened to us on one trip. Taxis were very hard to get inside of Paris, but were available at the airport. We arranged for a private shuttle service which we reserved just 1 day prior from CDG into Paris. It worked out just fine. The very few metros which ran were so full we couldn't get inside. Few buses either. We walked alot

1. The trade unions will gauge their strength for the upcoming period by the number of participants at the union marches on Labor Day (May 1st). Since only 8% of French workers are unionized, they have to count on non-union workers wanting to march as well, and they have absolutely no control over them or information regarding their intentions.

2. This is the 40th anniversary of the world famous May 1968 movements, and there will be much commemoration. This will either be a harmless way for people to vent, or else it will inspire them to recreate 1968, especially since there is a major student movement underway -- before the school holidays, there were between 20,000 and 50,000 high school students marching in the streets of Paris every day. We'll see what happens next week.

3. There are no public service strikes planned at the moment. It is currently the private sector that is beginning to wake up and go on strike over salary issues.

>This is the 40th anniversary of the world famous May 1968 movements,...<

Ah yes. Like the Tet Offensive that same year, it was a failure. However, it changed society.

For some folks, 1968 was the high point of their lives.

I expect that the usual suspects will be out in force.

Ira, I got married in 1969, so guess that year was my high point ;&gt

On the evening news in France tonight, the following two dates were mentioned, which may be of interest to some of you:

15 May - student demonstrations
22 May - day of industrial action

The first date should not bother many people, unless you end up in the middle of a march. Uncontrolled elements in recent student activities have engaged in a little bit of rioting and looting, leading to a tad of tear gas and other unpleasantness.

The second date will probably mean some transportation disruptions.

thanks for this extra information,

I do have a ticket to Troyes on the 22nd so hopefully i will still be able to take that trip!

we will see i suppose!

Do you think the 22nd will include airport/plane disruption? We have an Easyjet flight to Milan on the 24th.

We are scheduled to arrive in Paris early on the 17th. Cross fingers. Last time I arrived in Paris there was a huge transit strike (riots circa 2006). It meant a very poor introduction to the city via a taxi that eventually just dumped us off "somewhere" - I still don't know where....due to traffic standstill. Other than heightened security and the University area being sectioned off - no problems.

Ahhh Paris.

Naxos

Thanks Kerouac,
Please keep us posted. As long as I can get from the airport to my hotel, I'm happy to walk anywhere.

May be a stupid question, but is Day of Industrial Action just one day?

Jane

I'm so curious about the Europeans and their strikes! Americans generally thinks of strikes as unacceptable. Part of me thinks it would be absolutely fascinating to be there during one, but most of me is crossing her fingers hoping that it doesn't happen! If the strike happens before we leave for Alsace on May 21 it wouldn't be so bad, as we could just stay in Paris (a mixed blessing!). If it happens after, though, I'm worried we may have trouble getting back to Paris for our return flight.

For those who have been there during a strike, what happened? Besides walking a lot, how else did you have to adjust?

I was in Paris for the first time in 1984 and there was a strike by the baggage handlers at the airport on the day of our departure. We weren't told anything when we boarded the plane. We sat for hours on the tarmac wondering why there were police all around the aircraft. We were told that the workers refused to load the luggage and we had to get off the plane because the flight was canceled. It took several days before the airlines could get us home. Normally,I would have been delighted to have a longer vacation, but I was feeling so sick that all I wanted to do was to get home quickly.

I heard the date of May 26th for possible strikes.

Anyone have any information on it??

Thanks.....

No information on that. Which sector would be striking?

I just checked again, and the only strikes scheduled are still just on the 15th and 22nd.

Hm, so if someone had to guess, "some transportation disruptions" would mean what exactly?

No one ever knows ahead of time, since most French workers do not belong to a union and even if they do, there is no union dictatorship -- you go on strike or you don't, depending on your mood. That's what makes French strikes so unpredictable.

Basically, the success or failure of the May 22 strike depends on what happens on the May 15 strike. The May 15 strike is considered to be a school strike mostly, so that is the main thing to watch. School teachers are very irritated about certain issues, true or not, regarding reduced budgets and larger class sizes, planned by the government (or not).

Anyway, if most schools are closed on the 15th, this will incite more people to strike on the 22nd, and that's when the trains, metro and other transportation might be seriously disrupted (or not). It's a day by day process and nobody has a crystal ball.

And that's what worries tourists.

Besides this forum, where is a good place to get updated information on the internet regarding this?

I'll be in Paris from the 15th of May, leaving the 23rd, but need to travel back to a hotel at the airport on the 22nd. Just want to make sure I have the latest info well ahead of time.

Thanks for the update.