French press review 18 April 2018

Battles between the government, unions, Zadists, and management are dominating the French press this morning but look closely and you will stumble across some worrying smaller scale social issues.

A quick glance at the French press would have you thinking the country has been brought to a standstill with protests and strikes splashed across the newspapers today.

Libération is leading with Air France and the headline " Management want to force a landing". Today the unions will be pursuing their 9th day of strike while management have decided to stop negotiating. The left leaning paper has interviewed three members of staff, a pilot, a stewardess and a mechanic to find out more about their demands.

Among them, pay rises to match inflation and more recuperation time. It may come as surprise to some, but Air France is one of the airlines where pilots take the least amount of leave 3% compared to 6% for their British counterpart British Airways. Pilots can be as old as 65 compared to 58 for KLM

The paper reports that the strike has already cost the company 220 millions euros and that getting the pilots on board will be a real game changer for the unions or the bosses depending on what they decide to do. Indeed, mechanics have been on strike for the last 6 months and no one really cares laments the one who was interviewed for today's edition.

Le Parisian focuses on the train strike which is back on for the next two days, noting that MPs voted 454 against 80 in favour of opening up the french rails to competition and changing the status of the national SNCF . The projected law will have to go through the French Senat at the end of May .

The government is hoping to have the law adopted come early July despite intermittent strikes by the SNCF set to affect the country. To be continued...

The photo on the cover Le Figaro's front page looks like a cross between a battle in Game of Thrones and a hippy rave party. It's headlining "The State's authority is failing in Notre- Dame Des Landes". For over a week, authorities have being trying to dislodge the Zadists protesters who have been occupying the land that was once considered for the construction of an airport.

The conservative paper compares the situation to a war of attrition. You'd think we were back in the trenches a century ago. Although the french executive claims everything is going to plan but the paper believes the government made the error of believing it could entertain talks with the Zadists. 700 of them are still occupying the area with many stemming from Germany and the United Kingdom.

75 members of the armed forces have been wounded in the clashes which featured acid and Molotov cocktails. One gendarme complained to the paper that they have to be flexible while the government is inflexible.

The paper also reports that locals are exacerbated by the arrival of more militants and the constant clashes. Local farmers are meanwhile worried the government will concede land to the Zadists without them having to meet the same requirements they would have had.

Meanwhile some uncomfortable social issues are also gracing the French dailies today. Communist L'Humanité looks at the psychological suffering of migrants who arrive in France.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is often on the menu following forced exile and violence suffered en route to France. Cue at least some severe insomnia. The paper features an interview with a psychologists who has been working with refugees and migrants since 2010.

Sordid tales of underage prostitution have meanwhile made into the pages of Le Monde as a new report entitled "youth for sale" has been released. 5000- 8000 minors are thought to be selling their bodies in exchange for as little as a Happy Meal.

It's not just children stemming from poor families who fleet between the safety of their bedrooms to hotel rooms.

One charity interviewed believes the culture of " Ass, Sex, and Money" is promoted by internet, advertising, reality TV and enabled by social media. Some young people who have grown-up in a hyper sexed environment engage in prostitution early-on without really realising what it is. Sadly the article has no solution to offer.