20th Paris Strike Day Headlines - 13 Dec 95

The general assembly of the SNCF strike direction will itself have a vote tomorrow to decide future action.

If a little waver on one side has been detected, there is apparently second thoughts within the government's majority members as well. According to several government-party speakers, doubt has set in.

Although it doesn't matter which side actually said it, a union delegate said on the news, "Juppe (the Prime Minister) says the French don't understand his proposals, but it's Juppe who doesn't understand the French."

The biggest public sector workers union, the FO, has called for another massive all-union demonstration Saturday. It is thought that Paris demo numbers have not been particularly high because most workers cannot afford to live in the city and therefore can't get to town to participate - while in smaller centers this is not the case.

Most useless information of the day: Each year the French consume 400,000 metric tons of chocolate. I can't, with the best will in the world and a calculator, figure out how much this is per head. I probably mis-heard it anyhow.