They Want More to Save for Rainy Day : French Meteorologists Go on a 24-Hour Strike
Government meteorologists called a one-day strike today, leaving the French to gaze into the sky and guess at the prospects for rain or snow.
The 3,000 employees of the National Weather Service agreed to provide crucial aviation and marine forecasts during the walkout, called to press demands for higher pay.
The four unions representing meteorologists conducted a series of meetings in December and January with Transport Ministry officials but said the discussions were not satisfactory and called the strike to underscore demands for more money. A starting meteorologist earns about $1,000 a month.
The newspaper Le Monde noted that the strike means “silence on the great preoccupation of vacationers and staff at ski resorts: the prospects for snow.”
Snow has been scanty this winter in the Alps, causing many resorts to close some or all of their ski trails. The latest long-range forecasts, issued Sunday, said there was a possibility of scattered snow later this week.
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