Truckers Continue to Grumble
As Strike Ends

La Mogador, in the street running behind
Printemps and Galeries Lafayette.

Maurice Papon Was a 'Cleaning Lady'

Paris:- Saturday, 8. November 1997:- An agreement was signed yesterday afternoon to end the week-long strike of French truck drivers. After nearly a week's worth of nearly non-stop negotiations between two associations of truck operators and several driver's unions, there remains quite a bit of uncertainty about the agreement.

As of this morning, it appears as if only one of the several unions involved have signed the agreement; although this one is possibly the largest of the labor organizations. Nevertheless, it seemed as if last night many of the hastily erected barricades were being dismantled and trucks were rolling again.

France can breathe a sight of relief, because the state was under tremendous pressure from its European partners who were saying loud and clearly that France had an obligation to guarantee 'free passage.'

When it was reported that trucking operators in Belgium were giving throw-away cameras to all drivers heading for France - to use for gathering evidence for future claims against France for hinderance - the French government was more than a little annoyed.

French truckers also showed that they meant business by mounting road-blocks early in the week in massive numbers. Last year, at the beginning of the strike there were only about 25 of them, but by last Tuesday they had more than 140 in place.

Also, they blocked refinery exits early, and that seriously cut gasoline supplies throughout the country at a very early stage. Drivers were obviously nervous about the supply; one indication of this was the number of extra cars parked around my village all week. Drivers were parking here and taking the train the rest of the way to the centre, to save gas.

While diplomats were being diplomatic, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin reportedly said, "We've tried to draw lessons from the last conflict with the drivers. As soon as we knew it was impossible to avoid the strike, we asked Britain to avoid sending trucks to France. We devised routes to avoid the road-blocks. Result: the number of British trucks blocked in France was a lot less than last year."

TV-news showed huge lines of trucks parked across the channel in Britain, waiting for the strike to end. The fact is, although it is possible to cross the channel to countries other than France, it is difficult to go from northwestern Europe to the Iberian peninsula or to Italy, or vice-versa.

According to today's Le Parisien, many of the truckers are not in agreement with the negotiated settlement, and many union members are also unhappy with their distant union leaders who have agreed to the settlement.

As happened in last year's battle, there is an offer of an immediate pay hike, but most of the other proposed benefits are for later or next year, or 'still to be negotiated.' Union members who voted for settlement, were not a big majority.

Paul Ricard died at home yesterday at the age of 88. Since 1968 he had been in retirement, sort of. He took up the painting he had to abandon when his father made him an apprentice in the family firm in Marseille.

As a young lad, he went around to shops, bars and restaurants, to 'place' the family's products which were mainly wine. At the time absinthe - the 'infernal green booze' - was illegal and there was no 'pastis' either. There was bootleg absinthe, sold from under long raincoats and Paul's father claimed to have the secret of its manufacture.

When the interdiction was raised in 1932, Ricard was ready for the market with his pastis, and Paul put 'Ricard' in yellow letters on a dark blue background. Other competitors were in the act - Pernod, Berger - and then there was a new prohibition in 1940 - which enabled the Ricard distillery to supply fuel to the 'Maquis.'

By the time prohibition was lifted again in 1950, Ricard was back with ads on Tour de France casquettes, ashtrays, parasols for bars and a good slogan, "Un Ricard sinon rien."

Mr. Ricard didn't exactly retire at the age of 59; he built the F1 racetrack at Castellet, the airport du Soleil, an estate in the Camargue, and rebuilt the Ile des Embiez, which is also the Ricard headquarters.

Since Ricard's retirement 20 years ago, his son Patrick has added Pernod, Orangina and Glen Campbell whisky to the product lineup and the group is supposed to have a turnover of about 17 billion francs.

According to Maurice Papon, he was a messenger boy or even the cleaning-lady, while holding the post of secretary-general to the Prefect of the Gironde department from 1942 to 1944.

In the continuing trial, on charges of crimes against humanity, the defendant continues to deny all responsibility and claims he cannot understand why only papers with his signature on them are being put forward as evidence, instead of papers signed by 'X' or 'Y.'

The president of the court read out two letters of praise addressed to Mr. Papon for his work in the wartime prefecture. The attorney general also produced a paper delegating signature authority to Mr. Papon, 'Pour le service des questions juives.'