European Workers Sick Of Attacks On Their Pensions And Economic Security Are Taking It To The Street

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/14289

Submitted by Doug Cunningham on October 14, 2010 - 3:32pm
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Workers are taking it to the streets in two European nations. Jesse Russell reports:

France is now in the fourth week of protests with the current strikes focused on the country’s oil refineries. Only one refinery remained open to fuel deliveries on Thursday due to strike action at the ports. The refinery strikes will likely continue into next week. Unions representing the workers have said they will continue the strike action until at the least October 18 when the Senate is expected to vote on President Nicolas Sarkozy’s bid to raise the retirement age in France from 60 to 62. The refinery workers are asking that the government define their jobs as “hardship jobs” which will allow them to continue retiring at 60 even if other workers see their retirement age increase. Meanwhile, in Greece, tear gas was unleashed on workers who were blocking access to the Acropolis. The workers claim they have been unpaid for 24 months. As part of the agreement reached under the European Union and International Monetary Fund bailout of the Greek economy the country has had to lay off a large number of temporary workers.