Of course it has to do with strikes and demonstrations that seem to happen all year round. 3 years in France I'm numbed with strikes involving civil servants and public transport.
But this week I learnt different kind of strike that could potentially disrupt your daily life:
1. Your children's teachers are on strike so the school is closed. You will either pay for a baby sitter or take a day off to take care of them. They are on strike to protest against the elimination of some school positions in the coming September. I wonder whether we should put "the right of going on strike" first or "the right to learn"?
2. Fishermen are blocking some marine ports which hold the gas supplies to the gas stations in the areas. If this continues, it could lead to gas shortage. Imaging no gas at gas station and you have to walk or take your bike to work. This happened many years ago and only stopped when the government sent out army to interrupt the strike. These fishermen are protesting against the skyrocketing petrol price.
So far I'm lucky enough to not be seriously disturbed by any strikes. I hope my luck continues...
Earlier this year (I believe in February??), the fisherman blocked a bunch of the ports in Bretagne and there was a definite gas shortage. Many of the gas stations had to shut down b/c they were out, and one day, I ended up driving to three or four different villages before I found one that still had gas. Kind of makes me glad now that I no longer have a car, cuz I think this kind of stuff is just going to happen more and more often! :-)
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