France's Caribbean island of Guadeloupe had ground to a halt Monday after two weeks of a general strike that shut down shops, schools and public transport and left its half million residents facing food shortages. The strikers warn of "social chaos" if the Paris government and local business leaders fail to meet their demands and lower taxes, hike salaries by 200 euros (255 dollars), and slash petrol prices by 50 euro cents a litre.
President Nicolas Sarkozy, who last week saw a million people take to the streets of mainland France to protest at his handling of the economic crisis, has dispatched his minister for French overseas territories to the island.
Yves Jego said Sunday on arriving in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe's capital city, that he would stay as long as it took to bring an end to the strike organised by the Collective against Extreme Exploitation (LKP). "I am well aware that, after a fortnight of strikes, we must bring responses that satisfy the Collective," he told reporters on the tropical island whose economy depends on tourism, agriculture and massive state subsidies.
"I have no schedule for returning (to Paris)," he told reporters, adding that he would remain "as long as is needed" to resolve the "exceptional situation." He had said before leaving for the island that "one must not under-estimate the fears and the anger of our compatriots in Guadeloupe" and had already announced that social housing rents here would be frozen for 2009. LKP, whose initials come from the words "Lyannaj kont pwofitasyon" in the French creole spoken by most islanders, groups most of Guadeloupe's unions and political parties.