FRANCE:TENS OF thousands of striking teachers and state workers took to the streets in France yesterday in protest at Nicolas Sarkozy's job cuts, just as the president tried to contain infighting within his party.
Mr Sarkozy is standing firm on his promised "cultural revolution" to streamline France's public sector by cutting jobs and not replacing certain staff who retire. In education, 11,200 jobs will go by the start of the next school year.
Hundreds of schools were closed as teachers walked out yesterday, joined by some postal workers, tax inspectors, air traffic controllers and customs officers.
Unions warned it was a mere taster for another "black Thursday" next week when transport workers, including rail, metro and Air France staff, will join a widespread strike against pension changes, potentially gridlocking France.
With France's economic growth looking slightly healthier than expected despite stagnating consumer demand, Mr Sarkozy issued a statement saying his economic revolution was working.-