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UPDATE 3-French protesters rally over pension reform
* Turnout dips at marches but strikes set to continue
* Refinery strike threatens airport, hits petrol stations
* Fresh protest on Tuesday to keep pressure on Sarkozy
(Adds march numbers, airport fuel squeeze)
By Gerard Bon
PARIS, Oct 16 (Reuters) - A million or more people marched in cities across France on Saturday in the latest protest of a campaign against President Nicolas Sarkozy's flagship pension reform, and refinery strikes squeezed fuel at airports.
Turnout was down by several hundred thousand from the last weekend rally against Sarkozy's push to raise France's retirement age, and there were no immediate reports of serious scuffles.
Five-day old rail and refinery strikes piled pressure on the centre-right government, however, by disrupting travel.
France's civil aviation authority said Charles de Gaulle international airport had just two days' worth of fuel in stock after a walkout at a refinery in northern France cut the flow through a key pipeline to Paris. France's other international airport, Orly, has fuel reserves for several days.
Sarkozy is determined to stand firm on his plans to raise the retirement age and stem a ballooning pension shortfall, but unions view the reform as unfair and have staged weeks of demonstrations to try to force him to back down.
France's CGT and CFDT unions said between 2.5 million and 3 million people joined street demonstrations from Toulouse to Rouen, down from the last weekend march on Oct. 2 and also from a Tuesday protest unions said was joined by 3.5 million.
The government counted 850,000 marchers, down from 899,000 on Oct. 2. The biggest crowds were in Paris, but the mood was upbeat with music blaring, horns honking and chanting.
"I think the French people have understood that pension reform is essential and necessary," Labour Minister Eric Woerth told French television.
Unions have set their next big protest rally and nationwide strike for Tuesday, the day before a Senate vote on the pension bill, whose key clauses have already passed through parliament.
Open-ended strikes at France's 12 refineries since last Tuesday threaten to cause the government a huge headache if fuel dries up at France's main airports. Orly already had to ground some flights this week due to striking runway workers.
The CGT union coordinator for oil company Total (TOTF.PA), Charles Foulard, told Reuters workers at Total refineries would not return to work unless the government retracts the pension bill. "There is toughening of resolve," he said. "The truck drivers are going to join us ... We will go till the end."
The French people have a 100 year tradition of bad judgment. No sense making sense now. Strike yourself to oblivion.
The French worker and their unions have had a free lunch for quite a long time as it is – they should have long ago expected this necessary correction to come due.
Sarkozy needs to stomp on the unions and make them realize that while they are acknowledged bloodsuckers, they are not Elected bloodsuckers and therefore have no say in government policy.
Having previously fulfilled a necessary role in society, in today’s CIVILIZED world there are few more detestable organizations than unions!
These people look so young. Why are the youth worried about the end of their life? They should be too busy working and striving for success to waste time on this silliness.
When a people worry about handouts, the country spirals down. This is a nasty result of Marxist thinking.
the us if Obuma is not gone in 2012
but not by his beloved unions
but by the the people
