War of attrition: Macron plans to financially grind down French strikers
When French trade unions declared a nationwide strike to protest against planned pension reforms, Nicolas, a 34-year-old maintenance technician with the Paris metro, went on strike for three straight weeks. Then he went back to work. "It was a financial thing," he said as he ...
Hong Kong workers flock to labor unions as new protest tactic
Before the Hong Kong protests began in June, Chris Ngai spent most of his free time playing World of Warcraft and finding new cocktail recipes. Now the bespectacled 24-year-old junior engineer is launching a trade union. His aim is to ramp up pressure on Hong ...
French transport strike drags on despite government compromise on pensions
A crippling French transport strike dragged into its 39th day on Sunday despite the government's offer to withdraw the most contested measure of the pension reform plans that sparked the protest. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Saturday he would drop plans to increase the official ...
French unions take to streets in make-or-break pension protest
French trade unions disrupted rail services, cut power output and brought demonstrators onto the streets in cities across France on Thursday in a make-or-break push to force President Emmanuel Macron to abandon his planned pension reform. The country's hard-left unions rallied supporters hoping to regain ...
Paris shops' sales halved as strikes bring chaos to the city
Five weeks into strikes crippling French transport, Emile Sebbag is agonizing over how to keep afloat his two Parisian clothing stores, deserted by shoppers as the backlash against France's pension reform drags on. The start of winter sales on Wednesday — traditionally a big event ...
Emmanuel Macron embarked Wednesday on what is shaping up to be another rocky year for his presidency of France, facing a fresh barrage of anger from critics for using a new year's address to reaffirm his commitment to fiercely contested pension reforms. Far-left leader Jean-Luc ...
Striking Paris Opera musicians ushered in a new year of protest against President Emmanuel Macron's government by playing extracts from "Carmen" and "Romeo and Juliet" to a square steeped in the history of the French Revolution. The spirited, makeshift performance Tuesday on the front steps ...
Glimmers of cheer for Paris commuters on 26th day of strikes as transport squeeze eases
The start of a fourth week of French transport strikes saw some modest improvements Monday for beleaguered commuters in Paris, with fewer Metro lines closed. The strikes against government plans to reform the French pension system were still causing considerable disruption for users of the ...
Airport strike prompts cancellation of flights to and from Portugal's capital
A three-day strike by workers at Lisbon airport led to the cancellation of several flights over the weekend, with more likely before the action ends on Sunday, the workers' union and Portuguese airport authority said. EasyJet, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Transavia France, and Wizz Air UK ...
Lufthansa's low-cost carrier Eurowings has canceled more than 170 flights scheduled for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday due to a strike by flight attendants at sister company Germanwings. The cancellations mostly affect flights within Germany from airports that include Cologne-Bonn, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and Duesseldorf. Information on ...
Toyota union to propose merit-based pay-raise system as seniority model faces scrutiny
The union’s policy is widely used as a standard-setter for annual wage negotiations across Japan each spring.
Christmas crawl as French transport strike enters fourth week, exacts financial toll
Christmas Day brought no respite for travelers in France as a transport strike entered its fourth week, ruining the plans of thousands wanting to celebrate with loved ones. Many people scrambled at the last minute to make alternative arrangements as the protest against pension reform ...
