NEW STRIKES FOR FRANCE

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30093, 29 March 1963, Page 11

NEW STRIKES FOR FRANCE

Govt. Firm Against Goalminers (N.ZJ’A.-Rcuter—CopyngMt) PARIS, March 28. France faces snap electricity, gas and newspaper stoppages today as the deadlock persists in the strike of 240,000 coalminers, which is now in its twenty-eighth day. It follows a day of rail chaos yesterday—the fourth this month. Pay talks are due today with the railwaymen and are expected to open soon with the gas and electricity men. The “action week” of sporadic gas and electricity strikes is aimed, say union leaders, at giving “maximum embarrassment to the Government and a minimum to the public.”

President de Gaulle last night refused to give ground to the miners. A spokesman announced after a long Cabinet meeting that the Government’s earlier pay offer would not be increased. The miners rejected this offer after long hours of bargaining at the week-end. The Minister of Information (Mr Alain Peyrefitte) announced that the Cabinet was firm in its decision. The Government’s refusal to budge fell like a bombahell in the mining areas of Lorraine and north-east France, the British United Press reported. Miners' leaders feared the Government now hoped to starve them back to work. Mr Peyrefitte said the Government’s wage offer to the miners meant a 12.5 per cent, increase by April next year, making 17.5 per cent, from last September to April. 1964. But Socialist and Commun-ist-led miners’ unions issued

stiff communiques saying the Minister’s figures did not correspond with those mentioned at abortive pay talks with the National Coal Board last Sunday. Natural gas workers at Lacq, south-west France, returned to their jobs yesterday after a three-week strike.

Journalists on provincial newspapers are due to stage a 24-hour “warning strke” today, after the breakdown of talks on more pay and holidays, a shorter working week and earlier retirement age. They have called on other journalists—on Paris newspapers, news agencies and radio and television —to stage a one-hour strike today in sympathy. Parisians faced a day of traffic chaos today as 13 bus lines were put out of action by strikes, and a series of snap electricity stoppages were expected to halt the Metro (underground system). The first electricity cuts hit the capital at 7.25 a.m., but the underground system kept running during the rush hour. There were prospects of a halt on the Metro later in the morning when commuters have reached their offices.