Strikes and disruption

Without getting (too) political It's beginning to be difficult here.

A growing number of petrol outlets are closed for instance, Leclerc and Intermarche with no signs of restocking. When they do restock I dread the queues and disputes.

At the lycée there is an Assemblée Géneral for all the teachers on Monday to recommend all-out strike action before the holiday.

I will not and cannot strike as I am only contractuel and not permanent.

The students are sporadically striking too or rather taking any excuse to not attend lessons. The result being half classes, students coming late and generally being very disruptive and abusive.

I have all but ceased teaching a normal English program and spend my time dealing with this mayhem.

If the petrol strike continues I won't be able to go to school anyway!

Is anyone else affected?

Carl, sorry to hear about these latest troubles...

What's it all about this time?

I think i read somewhere about proposed pension reforms over there, but I might be wrong

The fuel stations round here are limiting the amount of fuel you can purchase at any one time €20 or there abouts. With general disruption in the town centre on strike days. Yes your correct Clive its about having to work until your 62 not 60 before you retire (poor things)

I said before that IMO France needs to change. This is not just about politics, on the contrary it's about the mentality.

You cannot just refuse to do something every time because you don't like it, you don't want to do it or someone else influences you not to do it.

It all very well standing up for your rights and preserving certain things but there has to be a more objective and less selfish, egoistic and impulsive mentality.
There is also a lot of fear and misunderstanding and because of that people get angry.

Teaching young French 'adults' from 14-19 years old shows this quite clearly.

Common respect, discipline, appreciation, teamwork are a number of qualities that are seriously lacking.

Egalité = equal right to push in front of someone. Liberté = freedom to do what ever I want without question. Fraternité = we're brothers when it comes to taking what someone else has got.

They (students) went on the riot in Lyon last week and had to be cleared with tear gas and batons. There is another day of mass action planned for this coming Tuesday. I showed my terminal (final year) students the film 'Bloody Sunday' yesterday....not really sure if that was a very good idea.....

Hi Carl, it's a bit distyrbing to read this as I will be coming on the ferry to Roscoff tomorrow morning early. Can I get petrol in France further south ? I need to get to Spain

Quote :

its about having to work until your 62 not 60 before you retire (poor things)

62!!! I'll go for that! Were can I sign up?

We 'Dutchies' were told by or government last year we can not stop until 67,5 instead of 65.
62 is a blessing...

I even heard in Belgium and Greece it was 55; that's a dream!


And above that, our pension funds are in trouble so they think about to pay at least 13% less than promised...

We striked, I believe for a few days.... Strikes won't help in our little country...

pjti wrote:

Hi Carl, it's a bit distyrbing to read this as I will be coming on the ferry to Roscoff tomorrow morning early. Can I get petrol in France further south ? I need to get to Spain

From what I understand, further south i.e. the med area, they have been blockading the fuel depots for some time so it’s getting serious.

Sarkozy has ordered the Gendarmes’ to clear the protesters away from the distribution points but that doesn’t always happen as they are reluctant to go up against the protestors. The problem is in France that the protestors usually win as they know the government will give in if too much pressure is exerted.

France is stuck in the Dark ages, with a very unionist outlook of ‘someone else will pick up the bill’ not usually a problem for us not attempting to earn a living out here. It is similar to the UK pre Thatcher with the unions having too much power saying there looking after the people, but really only looking out for themselves and sod the rest.

That’s not political is it?

Let's not get confused about this retirement age thing/ at the moment you can retire at 60 (minimum age) but you wont get a full pension until you are 65, and then only if you have 40 years 'service' (ie paid contributions). Because people are living longer these days the pensions paid often exceed the contributions paid/ Most governments around the World are raising the ages.So in france the minimum age for retirement will be 62, but you wont get a full pension until 67, and then you will have to have service of 41.5 years, As has been said France are a nation traditionally opposed to change. My opinion. for what its worth, is that Sarkozy came to power with a mandate to change what needed changing. but as soon as it affects the individual; different story! Lets hope it doesnt result in total meltdown!!


mikey

Listen I have had a bad few days courtesy of a bunch of solicitors as I treid to close a house sale. This is not news I want to hear

I might be looking for lodgings around 584kms from Roscoff by the sound of it.

Wish me luck, signing off.

Patrick...seriously if your coming this way we can put you up.

Also we live near the main N13 Caen to Evreux road and A28. We have a large Total filling station/truck stop just round the corner that opens early in the morning and I have a Total loyalty card.

I was there at 7am this morning with a queue of about 20 cars!
There was no rationing and people were just panic buying like me keeping their tanks topped up.

Although if that shuts we'll be in the poo......

Luckily we only have 2 very small economic cars.

I'm thinking though why should I waste my time and (now precious) fuel travelling 30 kms to teach a bunch of angry, misguided and ill informed students.

They have been wound up and provoked by the CGT and are just canon fodder in all this. That is shameful because it adds to the bad mentality that exists.

Just to enlighten you that I saw yesterday a number of much older 'young' people walking passed the lycée trying to recruit students. They were also watching and noting teacher's movements including my car.
I asked one of them what he was doing to which he replied "Ce n'est pas vos affaires monsieur". So I called the police.

If there is no petrol, then no work and then I just stay at home and build trains.......
C'est la vie.

Yes Carl I would be a little concern in those circumstances, as the French students have a panache for burning cars, so much so that the Government has stopped the police publishing the figures, as the number was quite amazing sometimes. (Hence French car insurance is very high)

Perhaps not what this site was intended for, but it's good to have friends in the know..like Patrick I'm planning to arrive soon in France (Calais on Friday). We would normally go A16-A26-A10 to Poitiers. I guess it changes by the day, but it would be great if French residents could keep us posted. The A26 breaks at Rouen - to get throught the town, there is the scenic route - the famous D104e (past SNCF's rows of "surplus" locos at Sotteville). Anything to watch out for on that route? I can do London-Civray on one tankful, so what's it like in Vienne/Charentes? All advice gratefully received.

I agree with Carl that France needs to change - but after next week, the protestors will be rubbishing the "Anglo-Saxon" model too. I think I'll audition for "Grumpy Old men".

Do you mean the A28 Phil. The A26 goes towards Arras then Reims......

You need a new GPS.

If you are doing A16 Abbeville, A28 Rouen/Le Mans/Tours then A10 to Poitiers, you pass by my house.
We can see the A28 from the roof. Stop off at Junction 14.

Can't really offer you any petrol but a cup of tea is still ok.

I filled up again today. There were fights at Intermarché in Conches near Evreux and people were literally pushing in with their cars.

So sad.

I will try and find some more update information but its seems that larger filling stations on main roads and motorways are being suplied regularly so far. All the small ones are closed.

We must live in a different republic down here! The four local (within 5k) garages are not imposing any restrictions as to amount of fuel bought. (just no bidons allowed) The students at my grandsons college were peacefully demonstrating today. Mind you I bet a lot of the cars are charged with red diesel today!! (agricultural use only)

mikey

Carl Hibbs wrote:

Do you mean the A28 Phil. The A26 goes towards Arras then Reims......

You need a new GPS.

If you are doing A16 Abbeville, A28 Rouen/Le Mans/Tours then A10 to Poitiers, you pass by my house.
We can see the A28 from the roof. Stop off at Junction 14.

Can't really offer you any petrol but a cup of tea is still ok.

I filled up again today. There were fights at Intermarché in Conches near Evreux and people were literally pushing in with their cars.

So sad.

I will try and find some more update information but its seems that larger filling stations on main roads and motorways are being suplied regularly so far. All the small ones are closed.

GPS? more like auto pilot I've driven it so often - obviously without looking at the road numbers! A cuppa would be very welcome - thanks for the invitation. Should be around your way about 1pm/2pm Friday - could you PM me your address and phone? Much relieved at Mikey's news that it's more normal down his way (and mine).

Like Mikey, living in the backwoods down here, i was blissfully unaware of the fuel problems until I saw it on the news this morning.

We drove an hour or so North of here last Thursday (Bellac) and saw and experienced no fuel problems - filled up at Super U Chabanais and saw no evidence of queues or restrictions at any of the many other garages we passed.

There was a minor student march about 30 kids between Bellac and La Dorat and a couple of weeks ago, a major union gathering in Angouleme which caused chaos for a couple of hours but the Prefecture which we needed to visit was open and of course all the restaurants.

I guess you'll be OK Phil if you avoid the Paris suburbs and get south as soon as possible.

I know that Van was travelling from Calais to Le Dorat on Thursday pm so maybe he can give you a better heads up on fuel?

We probably shan't venture out until Tuesday next week and only a 40k round trip if that, so we'll keep you posted.

The kids you spotted near Bellac Brian,were being given lessons on how to protest by their school teachers.I kid you not.
Cannot help with the fuel situation,I filled up in the UK before leaving because of possible fuel supply problems over here.I put 600 litres in the tanks,at 17p a litre dearer in the UK than France.Although the tanks on the wagon have a capacity of 950 litres,600 will get me in and back out again.
Theres been queues at all the pumps here today and no cans allowed.So had to get 5 litres of premixed oil and petrol for the chainsaw from a agricultural merchants 19.50 euros for a 5 litre can .
Anyway I`m having a couple or three weeks off,so hopefully everything will have died down when I kick off again.

Just reread Brians post again.
I used the Portsmouth/Caen(Ouistreham) ferry as my first delivery was near Nantes.If I`d have come through Calais I would have nipped 30 klicks up the road and filled up in Belgium.

philkelly wrote:

Perhaps not what this site was intended for, but it's good to have friends in the know..like Patrick I'm planning to arrive soon in France (Calais on Friday). We would normally go A16-A26-A10 to Poitiers. I guess it changes by the day, but it would be great if French residents could keep us posted. The A26 breaks at Rouen - to get throught the town, there is the scenic route - the famous D104e (past SNCF's rows of "surplus" locos at Sotteville). Anything to watch out for on that route? I can do London-Civray on one tankful, so what's it like in Vienne/Charentes? All advice gratefully received.

I agree with Carl that France needs to change - but after next week, the protestors will be rubbishing the "Anglo-Saxon" model too. I think I'll audition for "Grumpy Old men".

Don`t know what ferry you use Phil,but if you book direct with LD lines,they give a good discount to the over 60s.I would not recommend their Dover crossing but Newhaven/Dieppe might suit you.

I'm glad you are ok down South although we have heard from friends in Nice that there is getting difficult and Marseilles has major problems. They haven't collected the rubbish for a week.

The North South divide....getting more and more like the UK.

Quote :

The kids you spotted near Bellac Brian,were being given lessons on how to protest by their school teachers.I kid you not.

I believe you. That is what they (CGT) want us to do, join forces with the students and all protest together.
Apparently we are also responsible for student behaviour in the immediate vicinity outside of school.

Looking at the dynamics of this dispute I think it will mostly fizzle out by next weekend.
It is the start of Toussaint, (all saints holiday) a time for reflection and consideration for those departed....
Unless of course the CGT decide to blockade all the cemeteries and florists.

There will be less traffic on the road during the week. Schools will all be shut for 10 days.

I can't see fickle students nor teachers striking during their holiday.

Any public suppoort will be very quickly lost with luggage laden departing families waiting in the freezing cold for a non-running TGV or dirty, crowded suburban train.

We'll see....

fm12 wrote:

Don`t know what ferry you use Phil,but if you book direct with LD lines,they give a good discount to the over 60s.I would not recommend their Dover crossing but Newhaven/Dieppe might suit you.

Thanks Van - we've been P&O stockholders (previously shareholders) for years and the return later this week is £70. Dover Calais suits us bcause it's easy to get to Dover from London, it's the shortest crossing and the car goes faster than the ferry - the less the sea, the higher the average speed. The A26 is usually empty with most cars being Brit-resgistered. We've named it "L'autoroute des Anglais". And if you are around next week, I still have the Piko railbus you bought from me..fancy a collection or delivery?

Phil

JUst to let folk know - I am not stranded in deepest France. Got off the boat at Roscoff at 07:30 and got home at 20:30, we think it was about 1100kms. We did not see any evidence of a shortage except on the Nantes bypass, at one gas station folk were queuing onto the main road some distance. A few kms down the road and the filling stations were nearly empty. We had no problem at all and on our route most places were operating as normal. We topped up twice and there were no restrictions on the amount - except what you could afford, ouch €1.46 a litre.

Glad you got back ok Patrick.

It's still screwed up around here and the train timetables are a mess too.

There is a mass day of action planned for Tuesday which is deemed as their last big chance.

I can imagine that it's at least "not very relaxing" to drive if you are not sure you can refuel. Good you made it. I had some flashbacks about French 'routiers' blocking highways in France in the eighties, let's hope it will not come to that. I still remember some very dramatic scenes with people with little kids that were not allowed to travel further...

On the Dutch news they mentioned 24hr actions by railway personnel in both French and Belgium. Public transportation will be down; Thalys trains (Amsterdam -Paris) will run only as far as Belgium/Dutch border.

I sure hope things calm down soon in the south!

Brace yourself as it doesn't look to be improving so far!

BBC news

They used rubber bullets on students today. I am going to ask for some too.....

Well, it made the US news today, did not sound good. What we are being told is this is doe to the French not taking some proposed reforms well unlike others in Europe and elsewhere. It also points out one of the downfalls of a Socialist or Welfare state when there is a decrease in paying workers per thsoe on retirement.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/10/18/pm-why-are-the-french-rebelling/

I fear that worldwide we all need to look up the term austerity for the next few years...