1995 saw a series of general strikes in France's public sector, which received great popular support and paralyzed the country's transportation infrastructure. 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A general strike is a strike action by an entire labour force in a city, region or country. ...

In May of 1995, Jacques Chirac had been elected president. The new prime minister Alain Juppé then proposed an extensive program of welfare cutbacks, the Juppé Plan, intended to reduce the budget deficit from 5% to 3% as required by the Maastricht treaty. October and November saw a students' movement against the conservative agenda of the new government and its perceived attack on women's rights, notably the right to abortion. On October 10 and November 24, a pay freeze on the public sector was met by civil servants' strikes supported by all major trade unions. The Juppé Plan was also a target of this strike. Jacques René Chirac (born November 29, 1932 in Paris) is a French politician and the current President of the French Republic. ... The President of France, known officially as the President of the Republic (Président de la République in French), is Frances elected Head of State. ... Alain Marie Juppé (born August 15, 1945) is a French politician; among other positions, he was Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997. ... The Maastricht Treaty (formally, the Treaty on European Union) was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht between the members of the European Community and entered into force on 1 November 1993, under the Delors Commission. ... The term women’s rights typically refers to freedoms inherently possessed by women and girls of all ages, which may be institutionalized or ignored and/or illegitimately suppressed by law or custom in a particular society. ... A Trade Union (Labour union) ... is a continuous association of wage-earners for the purpose of maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment. ...

In December, the railway workers were called on strike against the Juppé Plan by their unions nationwide, and paralyzed France's railway system. The main grievances for the railway workers were the loss of the right to retire at age 55 and an SNCF restructuring plan which was to eliminate thousands of jobs and which was imposed on the workers by SNCF management without negotiation. The railway workers were joined by Paris's metro personnel, postal workers, school teachers and others. The strikes spread from Paris, soon effectively covering the entire country, and major demonstrations were organized in both Paris and in the provinces. Retirement is the status of a worker who has stopped working. ... An SNCF multiple unit. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country France Région ÃŽle-de-France Département Paris (75) Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Mayor Bertrand Delanoë  (PS) (since 2001) City Statistics Land... The RER (Réseau Express Régional, IPA , Regional Express Network) is an urban rail network in Paris and its agglomeration. ... La Poste is the mail service of France, which also operates postal services in the French Overseas Departments of Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana, and the territorial collectivities of Saint Pierre and Miquelon and Mayotte. ...

The strike was called off on December 15, when Juppé dropped the retirement reform plan.

The various movements against the Juppé government's agenda were arguably the largest social movement in France since May 1968.^{[1] [2]} American Civil Rights Movement is one of the most famous social movements of the 20th century. ... A May 1968 poster: Be young and shut up, with the stereotypical silhouette of the General de Gaulle. ...

See also

• 2006 labour protests in France

The protest The 2006 Labour Protests in France occurred throughout France during February, March, and April 2006 as a result of opposition to a measure set to deregulate labour. ...

External links

• French strike wave of December 1995 at flag.blackened.net

References

1. ^ Josette Trat (1996). Autumn 1995: a social storm blows over France. Social Politics 3(2–3):223–236.
2. ^ Winter of discontent. PBS Online NewsHour, 8 December 1995. URL visited on December 18, 2006.