from the BBC

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4182961.stm

French postal workers have gone on strike, launching days of public sector walkouts that will also hit the railways and electricity grid.

The postal unions are angry at plans to open up the service to outside competition in line with EU directives.

Trade unions said some 20% of their staff had joined the one-day strike, but employers put the number at 15%.

Rail workers also began their one-day action late on Tuesday, that is set to bring chaos to France's railways.

Electricity workers will stage walkouts on Wednesday, with teachers and other civil servants protesting on Thursday.

The strikes are being seen as an important test for the centre-right government of President Jacques Chirac.

The unions say the government's economic policies are a threat both to the public sector and to the purchasing power of working men and women.

Their demands include higher wages, and an end to moves to relax the 35-hour working week.


 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4182961.stm