French Strike Rocks Ports, Rails

London – France’s main seaports are at a standstill and rail freight is being severely disrupted as thousands of longshoremen and rail workers join a general strike to protest the government’s economic policies.

The strike has closed container terminals at the main box ports, Le Havre and Marseilles, after longshoremen began a 24 hour strike at 8 p.m. local time on March 18.

Elsewhere the picture is mixed. Dunkirk, France’s third largest port, reported container and ferry traffic is operating normally, while cargo handling has halted at some cargo berths. The ferry port of Calais also is working normally.

Freight ferry services out of Marseilles have been suspended after seafarers joined the strike.

The strike has resulted in the cancellation of around 65 percent of high speed TGV train services and a third of scheduled flights from Paris Orly airport. One in ten flights was cancelled at the bigger Paris Charles de Gaulle airport but long haul services are not affected.

The stoppage, accompanied by mass rallies in cities across France, is the second general strike this year as unions step up pressure on President Nicolas Sarkozy to take action to protect jobs amid the worst recession since World War II.