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Sometimes I just love France. The official national 2008 unemployment figures are supposed to be released tomorrow. But they won’t be released on Thursday as scheduled because the public statistics agency is going on strike.

In fact tomorrow, most of France will be largely immobilised as millions of workers participate in a country-wide strike called by all the major unions. It’s not going to be fun for anyone trying to travel by public transport (or private car, for that matter, because everyone’s going to be on the road).

Image: Sijeka*

French strikes are nothing if not thorough. 70% of flights from French airports tomorrow are cancelled. Schools are closed, and government agencies will be operating with skeleton staffing. And don’t try listening to the radio for news: Radio France is on strike too, so will be playing Beethoven on loop all day.

For the most part, the unions aren’t demanding anything in particular this time around. They’re just expressing general disgust with President Sarkozy’s economic policies. I can’t really disagree with the unions right to strike, so I guess it’s just a matter of grinning and bearing it.

From Le Canard Enchainé - Black Thursday in the Southwest:

Radio: “No transport, no school,  no electricity…”

Wife: “This is still the storm?”

Husband: “No – the strike!”

Tomorrow, most people in France tomorrow will be getting on with things as best they can – the famous “plan débrouille“. I’m going to take the opportunity to find a walking route into the centre of town.

Some people can find some humour in the situation, however. Yesterday morning on Radio France Inter, Stéphane Guillon noted how lucky humourists have been in France since Sarkozy’s election: “We’ve never had so much work… every day, something happens! Sarkozy is Road Runner, with Wile E Coyote’s gun.”

Here’s the video (sorry in French without subtitles):