The   civil servants that began their 24-hour stoppage today are protesting what they say has been a de facto pay-cut. The purchasing power of their wages has dropped by 6\% since 2000. They are demanding pay-raises and are protesting proposed job-cuts for 2008. The government has proposed to cut some 23,000 jobs, half of which would be in education   .
The French finance minister Christine Lagarde estimated the strikes cost the economy of France €350 million each day. "It's a real worry for the French economy," she said. Public accounts minister Éric Wœrth spoke on France Inter radio and agreed that a prolonged strike would hurt the economy. "Not over several days. But if it lasted longer, it could obviously have consequences," he said. The civil servants that began their 24-hour stoppage today are protesting what they say has been a de facto pay-cut. The purchasing power of their wages has dropped by 6\% since 2000. They are demanding pay-raises and are protesting proposed job-cuts for 2008. The government has proposed to cut some 23,000 jobs, half of which would be in education . The third work stoppage by French energy workers started last night, reducing electrical output by 9\%. Newspaper distributors also went on strike, in protest of proposed restructuring. Students protested other reforms that would give universities greater autonomy. The students blocked access to buildings at campuses across the country .
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French finance minister Christine Lagarde estimated the strikes cost the economy of France €350 million each day. "It's a real worry for the French economy," she said. Public accounts minister Éric Wœrth spoke on France Inter radio and agreed that a prolonged strike would hurt the economy. "Not over several days. But if it lasted longer, it could obviously have consequences," he said.
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The third work stoppage by French energy workers started last night, reducing electrical output by 9\%. Newspaper distributors also went on strike, in protest of proposed restructuring. Students protested other reforms that would give universities greater autonomy. The students blocked access to buildings at campuses across the country