PARIS, 12 June 2003 — French public sector unions vowed yesterday to stage fresh walkouts over pensions reform, but a threat to high school graduation exams receded as the government made concessions to striking teachers. A rolling campaign by transport workers caused another day of headaches for commuters in Paris and other major cities, with metro and bus service disrupted, and some cancellations on the national rail network.

Union leaders called for a new day of nationwide strikes and demonstrations today against the controversial pensions bill, which calls for employees to work more years in order to receive full benefits.

The government’s “refusal to negotiate on the pensions issue seems even more unjustified,” the CGT, FO, UNSA and FSU unions said in a joint statement, adding: “There is no question of turning the page.”

The strike call aimed to build on Tuesday’s walkouts and protests that saw hundreds of thousands take to the streets nationwide, forced many schools to shut down and wreaked havoc on France’s transport system.

Most of Tuesday’s rallies were peaceful, but in Paris police fired tear gas and water cannon at hundreds of protesters near the National Assembly, where members of Parliament began debating the contested draft.

French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has refused to give ground on the pensions bill, saying reform is necessary to save the “pay-as-you-go” system from bankruptcy as baby boomers flood the retirement ranks. But after meeting with union leaders, his year-old center-right government did give ground on the timing and scope of an education decentralization bill that is deeply opposed by teachers, who have spearheaded the protest movement.

The Education Ministry also said it would make available 80 million euros ($94 million) at the start of the next school year to pay for additional teachers’ assistants.

The concessions prompted teachers to pledge that even if they were on strike today, they would not disrupt the baccalaureates, the end-of-year exam for 600,000 teenagers finishing their secondary studies, which begins the same day.

“The bac will be given, but school personnel reserve the right to pursue their movement at the same time,” said Denis Paget, leader of the main union for secondary school teachers, SNES. The government, which has a large majority in Parliament, has said it wants the pensions bill adopted by the summer recess in mid-July, but the left-wing opposition has promised it a rough ride, putting forth thousands of amendments.