Strike of the day

In a country where officially 9% of the people are unemployed - although if you analyze the way the unemployed are being counted, the correct figure is probably closer to 15% or more -, some people, if they think they work too much, may, well, stop working altogether. But it's France. So they strike.

The rebellion is organizing in big Parisian department stores to block the beginning of the [annual winter] sales, tomorrow at 8. The group of unions from the three main department stores, Printemps, Galeries Lafayette and Bon Marché, are calling for a strike to "denounce the deregulation of working times". Indeed, those department stores intend to open earlier and to close later tomorrow, and a "sales Night" is planned on Thursday until 10 pm. It's the "last straw that broke the camel's back" for the trade unions, especially after the madness of the holiday season and its Sunday openings.