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STRIKES * USA - France Steps In to Truck Labor Negotiations
Government bids to head off nationwide strike with compromise proposal
Paris,France -The Journal of Commerce Online, by Bruce Barnard -Dec 9, 2009: -- The French government intervened in contract negotiations between truck drivers and their employers Dec. 9, in a bid to head off a nationwide trucking strike next week that threatens to paralyze the nation's transport system... Labor unions have called for an all out stoppage by 610,000 drivers for an indefinite period starting Sunday, Dec. 13, unless trucking companies increase wages and expense allowances... A strike would have a major impact on the French economy as trucks account for a large and rising share of the national transport market, including the movement of containers to and from ports... The five trucking unions warn they will block access routes to major companies and industrial zones... Unions claim truckers' wages have been frozen for two years while costs have risen. The trucking companies say they can't afford to increase wages because cargo volumes have fallen during the recession... The government has proposed raising the lowest salaries by four percent and medium wages by three percent... This falls short of the unions' demands for a four percent hike for all drivers and a three percent increase in expenses as well as an industry wide agreement on health insurance... (Photo from thegully: french truck protest)
Labels: teamsters union news
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