AIR FRANCE customers expecting to fly on Tuesday (4 October) should be wary. Unions have said that they will participate in the general strike called in protest of the French government's economic policies. However, normal traffic schedules should be maintained, a company spokesman said. Unions at the state-owned SNCF railway operator and the RATP Paris bus and metro company have also said they will join the strike. The largest five French unions have called for a day of strikes and demonstrations, across the state and private sectors, to demand pay increases and investment in public services. They are also very unhappy about a new labour contract, introduced by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, which makes it easier for businesses to dismiss workers during the first two years of employment.
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