Twisted Titan
16th October 2010, 08:18 AM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/16/french-protests-airport-fuel-supplies
Coming to America..........
France's main airport has only a few days' worth of fuel left, it was announced today, as the strikes against government pension plans continued to hit infrastructure.
The transport ministry warned of the fuel shortage at the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris as unions worked to rally millions of people for another national protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's bill to raise the retirement age.
The country has already endured four days of strikes, resulting in grounded flights and cut rail services. Ten of France's 12 oil refineries have been shut down or are in the process of being closed and several fuel depots have been blockaded.
A ministry spokesman said officials were working to restore aviation fuel supplies, and the economy minister, Christine Lagarde, urged people "not to panic", the BBC reported.
The fuel supply into the Paris region and international airports was cut yesterday from a pipeline running south from Le Havre.
Trapil, the company that operates the pipeline to the Paris airports, said Roissy-Charles de Gaulle could run out of fuel as early as next week.
A transport ministry spokesman said reserves would last until late on Monday or Tuesday. But he said the pipeline was now working intermittently, adding: "We are exploring possible solutions to supply the airport [at Roissy]. We are confident."
Lagarde said: "There is no reason to panic over this ... I am sure that we will unblock the situation through intelligent social dialogue."
However, about 10% of petrol stations have run out of fuel and panic buying has broken out in some areas.
Meanwhile more than 200 marches are planned today to oppose the plan to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, and from 65 to 67 for a full state pension.
Rail networks and air travel is expected to be affected but the government's main worry is students becoming rowdy. Riot police used teargas yesterday to disperse crowds in the city of Lyon. Dozens of students were arrested across the country and several police were injured.
In another sign of growing protest, truck drivers – the heavyweights of French demonstrations because of their ability to block roads – have heeded a call to join the action.
Maxime Dumont, head of the CFDT union's trucking section, said drivers could block fuel depots, refineries and food warehouses and clog roads by driving slowly along them.
"In the transport sector we can do a bit more to help the workers. We are going to join the movement to make the government give way," Dumont told Reuters.
More than a million people took to the streets in the most recent national protest on Tuesday, according to police. Trade unions organisers said 3.5m had taken part. A sixth day of nationwide strikes and protests is planned for Tuesday.
About 70% of people polled this week think the strikes will build into a national protest movement like the one in 1995, and more than half of those questioned said they would support it.
The pension reforms have already been approved by the national assembly, the lower house of the French parliament.
The senate has endorsed the key articles on raising the retirement age, and is due to vote on the full text on Wednesday.
The government says the legislation is the only way to a stop a €32bn (£28bn) annual pension shortfall ballooning to €50bn by 2020.
France has a long tradition of overpowering unpopular government proposals through militancy on the street, although analysts believe many French people are reluctantly coming to terms with the fact that raising the retirement age in line with other European countries is inevitable.
Coming to America..........
France's main airport has only a few days' worth of fuel left, it was announced today, as the strikes against government pension plans continued to hit infrastructure.
The transport ministry warned of the fuel shortage at the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris as unions worked to rally millions of people for another national protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's bill to raise the retirement age.
The country has already endured four days of strikes, resulting in grounded flights and cut rail services. Ten of France's 12 oil refineries have been shut down or are in the process of being closed and several fuel depots have been blockaded.
A ministry spokesman said officials were working to restore aviation fuel supplies, and the economy minister, Christine Lagarde, urged people "not to panic", the BBC reported.
The fuel supply into the Paris region and international airports was cut yesterday from a pipeline running south from Le Havre.
Trapil, the company that operates the pipeline to the Paris airports, said Roissy-Charles de Gaulle could run out of fuel as early as next week.
A transport ministry spokesman said reserves would last until late on Monday or Tuesday. But he said the pipeline was now working intermittently, adding: "We are exploring possible solutions to supply the airport [at Roissy]. We are confident."
Lagarde said: "There is no reason to panic over this ... I am sure that we will unblock the situation through intelligent social dialogue."
However, about 10% of petrol stations have run out of fuel and panic buying has broken out in some areas.
Meanwhile more than 200 marches are planned today to oppose the plan to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, and from 65 to 67 for a full state pension.
Rail networks and air travel is expected to be affected but the government's main worry is students becoming rowdy. Riot police used teargas yesterday to disperse crowds in the city of Lyon. Dozens of students were arrested across the country and several police were injured.
In another sign of growing protest, truck drivers – the heavyweights of French demonstrations because of their ability to block roads – have heeded a call to join the action.
Maxime Dumont, head of the CFDT union's trucking section, said drivers could block fuel depots, refineries and food warehouses and clog roads by driving slowly along them.
"In the transport sector we can do a bit more to help the workers. We are going to join the movement to make the government give way," Dumont told Reuters.
More than a million people took to the streets in the most recent national protest on Tuesday, according to police. Trade unions organisers said 3.5m had taken part. A sixth day of nationwide strikes and protests is planned for Tuesday.
About 70% of people polled this week think the strikes will build into a national protest movement like the one in 1995, and more than half of those questioned said they would support it.
The pension reforms have already been approved by the national assembly, the lower house of the French parliament.
The senate has endorsed the key articles on raising the retirement age, and is due to vote on the full text on Wednesday.
The government says the legislation is the only way to a stop a €32bn (£28bn) annual pension shortfall ballooning to €50bn by 2020.
France has a long tradition of overpowering unpopular government proposals through militancy on the street, although analysts believe many French people are reluctantly coming to terms with the fact that raising the retirement age in line with other European countries is inevitable.