Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

Fri 10 Oct 2007Strike causes transport chaosFrance:Nicolas Sarkozy faced his first major showdown with France's powerful trade unions yesterday as a 24-hour strike over pension reform caused transport chaos.Paris's metro and suburban rail system ground to a near halt, forcing commuters to walk, drive or fight to find one of the city's new hire bikes. The major museums and theatres in Paris closed, and striking electricity workers cut off the supply to La Lanterne, an official residence in the grounds of the palace of Versailles which the president uses as a second home.