Threats of General Strikes Looms Across the European Continent.

 

February 24, 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) - Thousands of French air-traffic workers walked out of their jobs yesterday in a protest against government’s austerity measures, which they fear could cause widespread layoffs and pay cuts.

 

Following a general strike by the German carrier Lufthansa on Tuesday, several other unions in the UK, France, Greece and Spain decided to launch their own general strikes. However, since yesterday, Lufthansa workers decided to temporarily halt their strikes while talks are ungoing.

 

The right-wing government of Angela Merkel made a decision recently to restructure the country’s airline industry through outsourcing of the jobs, thereby causing widespread panics amongst German workers in all the sectors.

 

UK’s largest airline British Airways’ union also announced a walkout in the near future. Also in Greece a European Union member with extensive financial plights, unions from various sectors said they are prepared to start a general strike that could potentially paralyze the nation. The Greek government is planning to introduce stringent austerity measures to reduce ballooning government deficits.

 

In Spain a country with the highest unemployment rates in all of Europe people staged massive demonstrations in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and other major cities to show their anger at the government. The Spanish government wants to increase the age of retirement by two years to 67 in order to save more money.

 

All of these countries that now face tremendous economic pressures in fact not too long ago, were eager participants in the US-led financial deregulation of casino capitalism under the guise of free-market economy. The Neo-Liberals' idea of the free-market economy was to boost Western countries global clout especially against the emerging economies from Asia.

 

Asian countries’ industrial prowess now pose tremendous challenge to Western manufacturing and international exports. Most people in the world can now enjoy high quality day-to-day goods made in Asia. European tourism industry is also hit hard with high levels of anxiety over security issues caused by US global campaign against terrorism in recent years. Two day ago, Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport began using full body scanners making visitors feel as if they are entering or exiting a war zone.