French strikers extend stoppage, PM urges talks

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PARIS, Nov 18 (Reuters): French rail workers intensified their strike yesterday after voting to pursue their action against pension reforms until at least Monday, despite a move by the government to open the door to talks with some unions.
Saturday was the fourth day of the strike and no easing was expected before a planned November 20 strike by public sector workers, despite a 'return to work' call from one moderate union and a tentative offer of talks from the state rail company SNCF.
The SNCF said only 180 fast TGV trains ran Saturday compared with 250 Friday and 700 on a normal Saturday. Regional and freight train operations and the Paris metro were also disrupted. On Sunday, 250 TGV trains are scheduled to run.