The Old Hack

Last week, civil servants in France held a day of industrial action in protest at Sarkozy's budget plans for 2008, which include a cut in the number of civil servants in France.  Here about 25 percent of the population is employed either by the state, local government or other state-controlled enterprise (such as SNCF, the French railways).

Cynical friends, both English and French, who know the country far better than I, say that is how things happen here.  A government threatens action which will be detrimental to public servants.  Public servants take industrial action.  Government capitulates.  It's more a way of life than a political gesture, and a quarter of the population get an extra day off work.

I couldn't help thinking about the postal strikes in England just before we left.  Everyone was worried about the mail being a few days late and the country being brought to its knees.  Here people just carried on as normal.  The mail will arrive soon enough, and if the trains aren't running well we'll just have to delay our journey by a day or two.

I can't say I agree with unions holding the government to ransom willy nilly, but the whole public attitude is very refreshing indeed!