Labor strife intensifies in France

PARIS -- The French government is vowing not to buckle under pressure from the worst strikes in two years, but a tough battle is brewing after a week of protests that have strengthened the unions' resolve.

At least 210,000 public-sector workers took to the streets across France on Thursday and doctors, teachers, judges, civil servants, and energy and railway workers staged warning strikes this week over pay, job cuts, and unpopular overhauls.

Neither side shows any sign of blinking after the biggest wave of labor unrest since protests against pension overhauls, which the government rode out in the first half of 2003.

"You can check my pockets. I don't have any money to put on the table," Civil Service Minister Renaud Dutreil said late Thursday, rejecting civil servants' pay demands.

The trade unions have been encouraged by the response to their strike calls this week, plan a day of nationwide protests on Feb. 5, and are expected to meet next week to decide on what further action to take. "It's been a success, a great success even," said Bernard Thibault of the large CGT trade union, vowing that workers would take to the streets again soon.

The response to any calls for protests will be a major test of the unions' strength, while the government's ability to hold out against the protests will be closely watched abroad.

The government can ill afford to meet the pay demands because it is under pressure from Brussels to cut the public deficit below the European Union limit of 3 percent of gross domestic product this year after breaching it for three years in a row.