Striking French rail workers were voting overwhelmingly in Paris Thursday to return to work after a transport-crippling, nine-day walkout to protest President Nicolas Sarkozy's retirement reforms, initial figures indicate.
Rail workers appeared to be ceding in the standoff between Sarkozy and the unions — a symbolic first battle and a crucial test in the president's broad campaign of economic and social changes for France.
Returns from 42 of 45 union meetings across France indicated wide support for ending the strike and going back to work on Friday, officials said. More meetings were being held throughout the day.
"We think a dynamic of return to work has begun," SNCF rail authority spokeswoman Julie Vion said.
Unions appeared to be giving in to Sarkozy after negotiations began Wednesday.
The strikers are protesting a sensitive retirement reform that Sarkozy — and most French people — sees as essential to modernizing the economy.
While Sarkozy was holding firm on the reform itself, the talks paved the way for some concessions to workers' demands.
Amid widespread passenger discontent with the strikes, several groups of SNCF and Paris public transit authority RATP workers had already voted Wednesday to return to work.
Thursday's meetings showed the trend was "confirmed," Vion said.
The reform is seen as a small but crucial part of Sarkozy's bid to reshape France's economic, social and political structure.
He says reforms are necessary to drag France out of economic doldrums; his opponents worry that in doing so, Sarkozy will dismantle labour protections.
"If the president cedes today, that calls into question all the reforms to come," said sociologist Guy Groux of the prestigious Institute for Political Sciences in Paris.
For the unions, meanwhile, this "has an odour of defeat," he added.
"This will prompt a grand reflection by the social movement. French society must ask itself the question: Is the recourse to strikes … as effective as it once was?"
University students also planning protests
Rail workers are among many discontent with Sarkozy's reform plans.
University students planned protests Thursday at campuses nationwide, including a march starting at the University of the Sorbonne in Paris.
They are protesting a law passed earlier this year allowing universities more freedom to attract private funding and raise tuition.
Commuter chaos continues
Despite Thursday's votes to end the transport strike, the pain was not over yet for commuters and travellers.
While just 10 per cent of workers at the RATP were striking, train drivers remained the most determined.
At least one Paris commuter train line was shut entirely and traffic was at a near standstill on some subway lines, the RATP said. Around 60 per cent of Paris buses were running.
About 540 of the usual 700 high-speed TGV trains were running nationwide, the SNCF said.
That was the best level of TGV service since the strike began last week. Road traffic, too, was improving.
Retirement reform
The transport strikes were triggered by Sarkozy's plan to reform special retirement benefits for certain public sector workers.
Under Sarkozy's plan, all workers will have to work for 40 years to qualify for full pensions compared to 37.5 years now.
At Wednesday's talks between rail unions and management, they agreed on a schedule for negotiations and a list of subjects to be covered in future meetings, union leaders said.
The next meeting was set for Monday.
The government has put a one-month deadline on the talks.
While some commuters were relieved that the end of the strikes was near, Juliette Levy was already feeling nostalgic.
"I liked the ambiance. Everyone was obliged to find emergency measures: bikes, going on foot. It's always a nice atmosphere," said the 33-year-old lawyer, who replaces her subway commute with a bike ride during France's frequent strikes.
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