French Labor Protest Delays Channel Tunnel Traffic

French Labor Protest Delays Channel Tunnel Traffic

CALAIS , France, July 21 (UPI) — French ferry boat workers blocked the Calais entrance to the Channel Tunnel terminal Tuesday in a job action which has delayed traffic through the tunnel to England.

The protest, over possible pay cuts, included the burning of tires on the road leading to the port in an attempt to block access to the Eurotunnel terminal. The action produced black smoke, as well as traffic delays both in France and in England on roads leading to the tunnel. Cross-Channel rail service was not affected.

The labor dispute began after Eurotunnel sold the ferry service, MyFerryLink, last month. Workers seek a reversal of the sale. The dispute had been quiet during talks between the French government, a seaman’s union and a workers’ cooperative, but a deadlock Monday led to the protest Tuesday.

Another protest occurred not far from the scene of the tire-burning, as French farmers, angry over low prices for crops, blocked several motorways in Normandy with tractors and piles of manure Monday and Tuesday.

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