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Civil Servants Join French Strikes

Posted Nov 20, 07 6:38 AM CST in World 

(Newser) – As the transit strike in France entered its seventh day today, hundreds of thousands of civil servants staged a one-day strike of their own to protest job cuts and demand pay increases. The walkout by teachers, nurses, air-traffic controllers and others further paralyzed the nation and increased pressure on President Sarkozy, AFP reports.

Talks are scheduled to take place tomorrow between the rail unions and government officials, the Guardian reports. Sarkozy, normally omnipresent in the media, has not made a public appearance for days. A top adviser to the president told the Guardian that he is seeking dialogue: "Sarkozy has not wanted to force it through à la Thatcher."

Sources AFP, Guardian (UK)

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The empty Perrache railway is seen through a glass widnow, in Lyon, central France, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007. Civil servants, from teachers to postal workers, began a mass walkout across France on Tuesday,...   (Associated Press)
People use various modes of transport to move around in Paris, France, Tuesday Nov. 20, 2007, on the seventh day of a strike by transports workers. The strike centers on a protest over President Nicolas...   (Associated Press)
Some commuters cross the tracks as others wait on a crowded platform after getting out of their train at the Saint Lazare station in Paris, France, Tuesday Nov. 20, 2007, on the seventh day of a strike...   (Associated Press)
Striking French civil servants demonstrate in support of demands for pay increases and an end to job cuts, 20 November 2007 in Saint-Denis in the French department of the Reunion island, in the Indian...   (AFP/Getty Images)
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