Not one single week goes by without the French expressing their discontent through a protest march or a strike! Radio stations air comedian sketches that make fun of French politicians on a daily basis. This affects all walks of life, social status and sectors. On the whole, no matter how disruptive these protests might be, most of the French population support these actions. Naturally, if strikes tend to linger, this creates new debate and discontent, so a fine balance has to be struck. All in all, this is as integral to French life and culture as bread and cheese!
To illustrate the point here is a short list (!) of some of the varied topics that have hit the news this week:
Transport
Paris public transports (RATP) one day strike Friday 12th March 2010Air France pilots on strike starting late February and continuing into March, affecting regional airports. This following on from the Air Controllers strikes earlier in February. National French Railway (SNCF) strike predicted for March 23rd 2010
Education
Strike and protest march on the 12th March 2010 in Paris and other cities in France for all educators from primary schools to university.
Healthcare
Protest march & strike of all nursing staff on the 11th March 2010. GP national strike on the same date, to get an extra euro per consultation.
Media
Just in time for the local election results, French television channels are threatening blackouts during their broadcast this weekend!
Public Services
Refuse collections interrupted by strike action in Marseille since March 6th 2010.
Should you want to join the French in these types of debates, we can help you brush up your language skills quickly and effectively, so you can truly enjoy all aspects of French life!
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