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France faces more travel misery France faces fresh travel misery
(about 5 hours later)
France faces a second day of travel chaos as transport unions continue a strike in protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's pension reforms.France faces a second day of travel chaos as transport unions continue a strike in protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's pension reforms.
Rail and bus services were crippled in Wednesday's action, and more than 50,000 people rallied in Paris against Mr Sarkozy's plans. More trains were running than on Wednesday, but millions of people still struggled to get to work.
The president later called for a speedy end to the strike, saying conditions for talks with the unions had been met. Rail and bus services were crippled on Wednesday, and more than 50,000 people rallied in Paris against the plans.
Germany also faces rail disruption, as train drivers strike over a pay demand. Mr Sarkozy has called for a speedy end to the strike, saying conditions for talks with the unions have been met.
Passenger train drivers joined freight drivers, who had started strike action on Wednesday. Germany also faces rail disruption in its worst ever transport strike, with only two-thirds of trains running on main lines.
Passenger and freight train drivers have taken the action over a pay demand.
Deutsche Bahn says it will not make a new pay offer, and drivers' unions have raised the prospect of open-ended strikes.Deutsche Bahn says it will not make a new pay offer, and drivers' unions have raised the prospect of open-ended strikes.
Breakthrough hopesBreakthrough hopes
In France, fewer than 25% of trains and only 90 of the 700 high-speed TGVs ran normally on Wednesday, while just one in five trains on the Paris metro and only 15% of bus services operated. In France, the CGT union said 46% of employees at the state-run SNCF train company were on strike on Thursday, compared with 64% the day before.
'SPECIAL' PENSIONS Benefits 1.6m workers, including 1.1m retireesApplies in 16 sectors, of which rail and utilities employees make up 360,000 peopleAccount for 6% of total state pension paymentsShortfall costs state 5bn euros (£3.5bn; $6.9bn) a yearSome workers can retire on full pensions aged 50Awarded to Paris Opera House workers in 1698 by Louis XIV class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7094865.stm">In pictures: French strikes class="" href="/1/hi/world/europe/7094525.stm">Can street protests succeed? class="" href="/1/hi/world/europe/7094893.stm">Solidarity amid French crisis class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=3821&edition=1">Have you been affected? However, members of the CFDT union, on strike on Wednesday, went back to work.
Commuters across the country were forced to find other ways to get to work - car sharing, cycling or roller blading along traffic-choked roads. Paris metro lines were running at about 30% of their normal levels of service, the Agence France Presse news agency reported, while only 150 of the usual 700 TGV high-speed trains were running.
However, hopes of a breakthrough were raised on Wednesday evening after Mr Sarkozy said conditions for talks had been created. 'SPECIAL' PENSIONS SYSTEM Benefits 1.6m workers, including 1.1m retireesApplies in 16 sectors, of which rail and utilities employees make up 360,000 peopleAccount for 6% of total state pension paymentsShortfall costs state 5bn euros (£3.5bn; $6.9bn) a yearSome workers can retire on full pensions aged 50Awarded to Paris Opera House workers in 1698 by Louis XIV class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7094865.stm">In pictures: French strikes class="" href="/1/hi/world/europe/7094525.stm">Can street protests succeed? class="" href="/1/hi/world/europe/7094893.stm">Solidarity amid French crisis class="" href="http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=3821&edition=1">Have you been affected?
"The president of the republic has always considered there is more to be gained for all parties in negotiation than in conflict," said Mr Sarkozy's spokesman David Martinon. Major roads in the Paris region were clogged, with a reported 300km (180 miles) of traffic jams early in the day.
Labour Minister Xavier Bertrand held a series of meetings with the unions, whose leaders signalled their readiness to make a deal. On Wednesday, fewer than 25% of trains and only 90 of the 700 high-speed TGVs ran normally, while just one in five trains on the Paris metro and only 15% of bus services operated.
Jacques Voisin, head of the CFTC union, said after meeting the minister: "Let's not waste any time... let's negotiate." Commuters across the country have been forced to find other ways to get to work - car sharing, cycling or roller-blading along traffic-choked roads.
Bernard Thibault, head of the powerful CGT union, appeared to retreat from a previous demand for national talks by saying he would accept negotiations on a company-by-company basis. Hopes of a breakthrough were raised on Wednesday evening after Mr Sarkozy said conditions for talks had been created.
But six rail and four metro unions later voted to continue the action for at least another 24 hours.But six rail and four metro unions later voted to continue the action for at least another 24 hours.
'Special' pensions 'New elements'
The open-ended strike began on Tuesday night and follows a previous walkout on 18 October. The unions are due to respond to a letter from labour minister Xavier Bertrand proposing a month of negotiations between all parties.
It is not clear if energy workers will continue to strike on Thursday, although they have voted to continue a blockade of the liquefied natural gas terminal at Fos-sur-Mer to Friday. "There are some new elements [in the letter] and it is up to the workers concerned to decide what to do," Didier Le Reste, head of railway branch of the CGT union, said.
All rail services were disrupted
The strike began on Tuesday night and follows a previous walkout on 18 October.
The last time a French government tried to overhaul "special" pensions was in 1995 and it sparked three weeks of strikes that forced then-President Jacques Chirac to climb down.The last time a French government tried to overhaul "special" pensions was in 1995 and it sparked three weeks of strikes that forced then-President Jacques Chirac to climb down.
But the polls have so far broadly supported Mr Sarkozy, who says France can no longer afford to let some public service employees retire on a full pension as early as 50.But the polls have so far broadly supported Mr Sarkozy, who says France can no longer afford to let some public service employees retire on a full pension as early as 50.
Thursday's disruption coincided with protests at 31 universities over education reforms.