Public Employees Stage 1-Day Strike

Stung by pay freezes and planned job cuts, workers from across France’s sprawling state sector staged a one-day strike, grounding flights and closing schools nationwide. The walkout by an estimated 1.6 million public employees forced the cancellation of most airline flights and made rail travel difficult. It also shut down government offices and post offices. Yet only about one in three public employees joined in, the government said, in contrast to the union solidarity that crippled the country with a 3 1/2-week-long strike last year. Under heavy guard by riot police, tens of thousands of strikers marched through Paris chanting anti-government slogans. Police put the turnout at 23,000.