Paris Facing Big Transport Strike: Dockers Close Ports

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23196, 7 March 1950, Page 5

Paris Facing Big Transport Strike: Dockers Close Ports

PARIS, March, 5. The Paris bus and underground transport workers decided tonight _ to strike tomorrow morning. The strike will continue until the workers demands for higher wages are met. The Government is expected to requisition the city’s buses and operate them with troops. All French and Algerian ports except Marseilles closed down yesterday after Communist-led dockers called a lightning 24-hour general strike to test their strength for the proposed action against United States arms shipments. Marseilles dockers struck on February 27, so decided to work yesterday. Between 350,000 and 400,000 French workers were on strike yesterday for higher wages, with the threat of worse to come. The vast majority of the strikers so far are metal-workers, but the tide is engulfing other labour groups.

Seventy per cent, of Parisian civil servants have decided to stop work. More than 3000 of the ground staff at Orly, which is the main long-distance air port of Paris, are on strike, and all plane departures have stopped. There is also a growing threat of large-scale strikes by gas and electricity workers. The vast Alsace plants of Forges de Strasbourg and the Bugatti car works became idle yesterday. Workers at the Nantes shipyards and the Marseilles dockers are prepared to back nationwide demands for a monthly bonus and more pay.