A headache
COULD its hospitals provide a new flashpoint of social unrest in troubled France? Over the past month, there has been a growing rumble of discontent over the government's plans to trim budgets and tidy up France's extravagant and inefficient hospital service. The trade unions say that tens of thousands of jobs and the closure of many wards and services are at stake. Some 20 hospitals have already been disrupted by protests; some hospital directors have even been taken hostage. A forthcoming series of strikes is supposed to culminate in a nationwide “day of action” on March 14th.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “A headache”
From the March 8th 1997 edition
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Emmanuel Macron shows off the gloriously restored Notre Dame
Five years after it was gutted by fire, the cathedral is more beautiful than ever
Ursula von der Leyen has a new doctrine for handling the hard right
The boss of the European Commission embarks on a second term
Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare