New site lists all French strikes

Online calendar was inspired by recent Air France walkout which inconvenienced thousands of passengers

14 November 2014
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GETTING caught out by an unexpected strike could become a thing of the past, with a new website that aims to list every walkout in France - from the smallest local action to big nationwide disputes.

Cestlagreve.fr aims to help the public plan ahead and know about strike action affecting them.

The site shows all ongoing and future strikes and can be displayed in a calendar or searched by region. Strike alerts will also be pushed out on Facebook and Twitter.

The site's founder, Bertrand Lambert, told Radio Notre Dame that the site aimed to be apolitical and had no connection with the trade unions. "I just want to avoid any nasty surprises," he said.

He said the inspiration for the site came from the recent Air France strike, which paralysed flights for a fortnight and cost the airline an estimated €500 million. "I thought that strike was particularly tough and unfair," Lambert said.

Anyone planning a strike or who reads about one locally can submit details to the site, which will then verify the information before posting it online.

Today, binmen are on strike in Le Havre, postal workers in Florac (Lozère) and Chelles (Seine-et-Marne), hospital staff in Château-Chinon (Nièvre), lawyers in Nantes and Vannes and firefighters in Caen.

One of the next big strikes on the horizon will affect doctors surgeries over the Christmas and New Year period.

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