Trans-Atlantic Protests, Strikes Continue, in German Transport Workers, Canadian Public Sector, French Demos

April 20, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—The wave of strikes and protests continues in the trans-Atlantic over various specific issues, but all are actions against the worsening conditions of economic breakdown. In Germany today, labor strikes shut down the airports in the three major cities of Hamburg, Düsseldorf, and Cologne/Bonn. Tomorrow, rail workers plan a national railway shutdown.

In France, pop-up street protests have erupted in many places, after President Emanuel Macron signed his action on April 15, ordering an extension of the retirement age from 62 to 64. He was booed yesterday at his first appearance outside of Paris, and protests have included such actions as a temporary takeover of premises related to the Paris stock exchange. The individual called the “French Spiderman” climbed a 38-story building to dramatize that Macron should get his head out of the clouds and come back to Earth.

In Canada, today, an estimated one-third of the national public sector workforce walked off the job to protest wage rates below inflation and other factors. The walkout has suspended functions ranging from passport processing to vendor billing management.