French transport workers strike

PARIS, France -- Public transport workers in provincial France have gone on strike for the fourth time in six weeks, severely disrupting travel.

The workers were protesting on Wednesday at what they describe as a high retirement age.

Bus, tram and underground railway services in about 50 towns and cities, excluding Paris, were severely disrupted by the one-day stoppage on Wednesday.

Bus services in Bordeaux and Toulouse had completely stop and almost non-existent in Marseille, France's second largest city, where the underground metro ran a reduced service, Associated Press said.

The strike was timed to coincide with a new round of negotiations with employers.

The workers' union want the retirement age lowered to 55 from 60.

They argue that the stresses of the job, and growing numbers of attacks on transport workers, justify earlier retirement.

Employers have offered to study whether staff could retire sooner, based on years of service, but have rejected a general lowering of the retirement age.

Workers of the RATP public transport authority in Paris already have the right to retire at 55 and transport services in the French capital functioned normally.

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RATP

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