France Hit By a Day of Protest as Workers Take to The Streets

France Hit By a Day of Protest as Workers Take to The Streets

 

Taxi drivers, teachers, farmers, and air traffic controllers between staff taking industrial action in the country

 

Taxi drivers show by blocking traffic and burning tires on the ring road in Paris.

Police tear gas was fired to hit the French taxi drivers who tried to march down a main bypass Paris in a day of protests against the non-traditional automotive services like Uber.

Hundreds of taxi drivers were stationed on roads leading to the airport and a major intersection in the west of Paris. Riot tear gas police to keep dozens of drivers who tried to block the road near the Porte Maillot. Some drivers set fire to car tires.

Drivers are protesting against what they see as unfair competition from Uber and other private hire taxis are not licensed, and are looking for compensation. "Economic terrorism!" Read one banner at the demonstration Porte Maillot. Police said they made 20 arrests.

It was expected to gather in front of the Ministry of Finance later on Tuesday, while the tram is also expected to be targeted at Toulouse drivers.

Thierry Guichard, a spokesman for the collective taxis and cars and France said the government did not move to protect taxi drivers and "ensure respect for the regulations."

At the same time, France is preparing a broader range of other workers disrupted for one day, including air traffic control, staged a parallel strike. The unions said they wanted to be exempted from the proposed changes to how to calculate salaries, which they say will hurt their purchasing power. Air traffic controllers also protesting against what they said was the loss of 1000 jobs in less than 10 years.

French gendarmerie watching the protest taxi drivers off a bridge in Paris on Tuesday.

French Civil Aviation Authority on Monday called on the airline to cancel one in five flights as a precautionary measure before the strike.

Air France said it will operate all its long-haul flights, and more than 80% of short-haul and medium-term in France and elsewhere in Europe, but that "at the last minute delays or cancellations can not be ruled out."

And it included other workers to take industrial action and organizing street rallies teachers and hospital workers and ranchers who want to get better prices for their products.

Unions have called for 5.6 million civil servants in France to stop work in protest against the proposed labor reforms last September, wages and career advancement affect. The unions commissioned a wage freeze in the public sector part of its spending power. It denounced the unions also hit 150,000 job losses since 2007 and said hospitals hit especially hard.

Separately, and primary school teachers, nursery workers and eye-catching also to increase wages, with unions claiming to be from about one-third are expected to participate. Other teachers who were protesting for the fourth time against middle school reforms that go into effect in September.