France strike eases but transport still slow

PARIS -- A strike to protest changes to France's retirement system slowed train, bus and subway services Wednesday, while a teachers' union vowed to stay off the job.

The disruptions were less severe than Tuesday, when strikers delayed flights, crippled train service and clashed with riot police.

Teachers remained on strike, but, to the relief of many students, backed down from a threat to boycott important high school examinations scheduled to start Thursday.

Four unions decided after late-night negotiations with the government that they would not prevent the exams for high school seniors, said Gerard Aschieri, secretary-general of the majority FSU teachers' union.

President Jacques Chirac issued a statement urging teachers to "let responsibility prevail" and not to punish students in their pursuit of a better pension package.

Meanwhile, French culture took a hit from the strikes.

Paris' Bastille Opera house said it was canceling a Wednesday evening performance of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro," as employees protested a portion of the government's reforms they believed would cut their benefits.

Dozens of protesters fleeing riot police on Tuesday night stormed the Garnier Opera house in Paris during a performance of Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte." The organizers canceled the performance, offering reimbursements to ticket-holders.

Workers oppose a government plan to change the pension system to require people to work longer to qualify for full benefits.

In Paris, protesters pounded on barriers and threw stones and bottles at police blocking them from the National Assembly. Police responded with tear gas. About 65 people were detained.

Some subway and train lines returned to normal Wednesday, while others suffered delays and partial service. In Marseille, only 8 percent of public buses were running.

In Bordeaux, no buses were running, and the mayor declared an emergency over the heaps of garbage left by sanitation workers, who have been on strike since June 3.

The government says the pension change is needed to compensate for France's growing number of retirees and has warned that the retirement system will collapse without the changes.

Workers say the plan is the first step in a process that would eventually gut the pension system.

Along with pension reform, teachers also were protesting a project to decentralize the national school system.