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| Sarkozy undeterred amid strikes | Sarkozy undeterred amid strikes |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| French President Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to maintain his controversial economic reforms despite a second week of crippling industrial action. | French President Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to maintain his controversial economic reforms despite a second week of crippling industrial action. |
| He said the reforms were overdue and that they were necessary "to confront the challenges set by the world". | He said the reforms were overdue and that they were necessary "to confront the challenges set by the world". |
| Hundreds of thousands of civil servants joined striking transport and energy workers on Tuesday over the proposals. | Hundreds of thousands of civil servants joined striking transport and energy workers on Tuesday over the proposals. |
| The 24-hour action is said to be the largest protest against Mr Sarkozy's reforms since he took power in May. | The 24-hour action is said to be the largest protest against Mr Sarkozy's reforms since he took power in May. |
| In his first comments since the stoppage began, Mr Sarkozy said: "These reforms have been put off for too long. | In his first comments since the stoppage began, Mr Sarkozy said: "These reforms have been put off for too long. |
| After so much hesitation, so much procrastination, so many U-turns, a complete break is now needed to stop the decline." | After so much hesitation, so much procrastination, so many U-turns, a complete break is now needed to stop the decline." |
| STRIKERS' GRIPES Teachers, civil servants oppose job cuts and want more payNewspaper distributors angry at planned restructuringTransport workers on strike for a week over pension reformsStudents protest at changes they say could exclude poor | |
| Adopting a defiant stance, he said French voters gave him a mandate to carry out economic reforms when they elected him. | Adopting a defiant stance, he said French voters gave him a mandate to carry out economic reforms when they elected him. |
| "This clean break I promised to the French during the election campaign. The French approved it," the president said in a speech to a congress of mayors. | "This clean break I promised to the French during the election campaign. The French approved it," the president said in a speech to a congress of mayors. |
| "We will not surrender and we will not retreat," Mr Sarkozy added. | "We will not surrender and we will not retreat," Mr Sarkozy added. |
| Analysts say Mr Sarkozy is attempting to succeed where his predecessor Jacques Chirac failed, by standing firm against the strikers and completing his reforms. | |
| Opinion polls suggest voters back the French leader's plans to reform "special" pensions which allow transport and utility workers to retire early, but a majority sympathises with civil servant grievances. | |
| Commuter chaos | |
| Teachers, postal workers, air traffic controllers and hospital staff launched a 24-hour stoppage on Tuesday over planned job cuts and higher wage demands, as students continued to demonstrate over university funding plans. | |
| '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 Can street protests succeed? Solidarity amid French crisis Many thousands joined street protests in Paris, Rouen, Strasbourg, Marseille, Grenoble, Lyon and other cities. | |
| The latest nationwide stoppage left many schools closed, hospitals providing a reduced service and newsagents without newspapers. | |
| The French capital's two airports and Marseille airport in the south suffered delays and cancellations. | |
| Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said the dispute was costing France up to 400m euros (£290m) a day. | |
| French energy workers, who began a third 24-hour strike on Monday night, have cut nearly 9% of capacity at nuclear plants, union officials said. | |
| And rail and bus workers are on their seventh day of an indefinite stoppage against planned pension cuts. | |
| Half of the country's high-speed TGV trains were operating on Tuesday, while in Paris only one metro train in three was in service and less than half of buses were running. | |
| State rail operator SNCF, which is due to hold talks with transport unions on Wednesday, says the number of its workers on strike had fallen since last week. But with traffic gridlock on the capital's roads on Tuesday, the stoppage still caused havoc for commuters. | |
| Will you be affected by the strike, or are you taking part in it? Send us your comments on this story by filling out the form below. | |