French public sector

Workers Press no. 308, 21 November 1970 · scan page 5

Topics: France, Post office and public services, Education

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US Nanterre OVER 12,000 French postal workers struck yesterday as a prelude to the second week of action' called by union leaders for all sections from next Monday.

Postal services are being squeezed through the refusal of Pompidou's government to provide the necessary finance in the national budget.

Workers are now forced to fight back for increased nightwork pay, a shorter working week and parity of the provinces with Paris.

They take the lead among many sections of public sector workers who are now facing the government.

On Thursday firemen from all over France demonstrated in Paris for better wages and conditions and against undermanning and crippling hours on duty, especially for married men living in barracks'.

Teachers inall France's state secondary schools and many further education colleges will hold a two-day strike at the end of the month.

Like the firemen, they face sharply conditions and increasing workloads because the government efuses to spend the mone lecessary to recruit enougl trained teachers.

ELITE

Standards in all but the few élite schools are being forced down.

In Paris, tens of thousands demonstrated Wednesday against government neglect of the transport system, which leads to high fares, long delays and. intolerable conditions for those travelling to work each day. (See 'Star turn' page 3)

The sharpening question of unemployment pushing union leaders into protest actions in many areas.

In the Aube region of E France 10,000 struck on Thursday, and 2,500 demonstrated in Troyes, the main town.

NOTHING

But the political leadership of the movement, like that in the Vosges region, is calculated to do nothing but split up the strength of French Stalinist and Social Democratic union leaders protest against the 'strangulation of the area' in the government's Vith plan, asking the capitalist regime to give preferential treatment to depressed areas.

The rising cost of living thrusts one section of workers after another into wage claims which employers are increas-