Tens of thousands of French workers marched on Paris on Thursday and strikes crippled public transport, embarrassing the government as Olympic officials visited to assess the city's bid to host the 2012 Games. "We would have preferred a better advertisement for the candidacy, obviously," Sports Minister Jean-Francois Lamour told Le Figaro newspaper. Paris is competing against four other cities to host the Games, but is widely regarded as the favourite.
The demonstration against labour reforms was one of many across the country. Organisers said 150,000 were on the streets in Paris and 800,000 across France.
Unions expressed support for the capital's Olympic ambitions and stressed that the strikes by rail and energy workers, teachers and post office staff were to protests against job cuts and government moves to make the 35-hour work week more flexible.
Queues built up at railway stations as only one train in four served Paris suburbs and some services to cities in southern France were cut by two-thirds. Some 30 percent of rail workers took part in the strike, operator SNCF said at midday.
"What a waste of time!" said Sebastien, a civil servant getting out of the metro. "But I understand people who are on strike. It's important to defend our 35-hour work week." "I'm quicker on my blades than with the metro," said one young boy speeding through Paris on his roller-skates.
Waving banners reading "For 35 hours, against cut backs", tens of thousands protested in south-western Bordeaux and Toulouse. Organisers said around 100,000 demonstrated in southern Marseille, but police put the number at 20,000.
"We want to stop the inevitable decline in our purchasing power," said Jean-Louis Peydecastaing, a worker at an oil firm.
Action by air traffic controllers axed up to a quarter of flights at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport, officials said. Delays averaged two hours at theh capital's two main airports.
Thursday's strikes followed protests this week by students and scientists against government reforms, adding to the woes of centre-right Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin as he seeks to rally support for a 'Yes' vote in a referendum on the European Union constitution in May. Unions said the strike was not targeting the four-day visit by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) inspectors.
The IOC's 13-strong evaluation team were due to inspect France's proposed Olympic venues in and around the capital on Thursday. They have already visited rivals Madrid, London and New York and will visit Moscow next week.
Unsuccessful in bidding for the 1992 and 2008 Olympics, Paris has not hosted the Games since 1924. The IOC will announce the winning city on July 6 in Singapore.
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