France strikes: Transport hit amid nationwide walkout over pay and cost of living

France is bracing itself for nationwide strikes on Tuesday after trade unions called for a mass walkout over pay, presenting President Emmanuel Macron with one of his stiffest challenges since his reelection in May.

Public transport and schools are expected to be badly hit, as well as the health service and energy sectors. 

Employees in both public and private sectors have been called on to stop work, in an extension of the industrial action that has disrupted France’s major refineries and supplies to petrol stations.

Anxious to resolve the difficulties of fuel supply for the French “as quickly as possible”, Macron convened a meeting at the Elysée Palace on Monday afternoon.

“The president of the Republic called for the spirit of responsibility of all and highlighted the unbearable consequences for those who suffer daily from this hell,” said one anonymous source.

As disruption to public transport kicked in, commuters were seen arriving early at stations to try to get to work, while worse traffic jams than usual were reported around Paris. 

Regional trains as well as suburban networks have reduced services, while the Paris metro is also impacted and some Eurostar services have been cancelled. Long-distance TGV trains however are only expected to be marginally affected.

Some railway workers intend to prolong the strike over the next few days until the All Saints’ Day holidays on Friday evening, to negotiate pay rises.

Civil service workers’ unions have also called to join Tuesday’s strike, with possible disruptions in schools and other public facilities.

Demonstrations are scheduled all over the country, the one in Paris starting at 1400 CEST. Thousands of people took to the streets of Paris on Sunday to protest against soaring prices.

The strikes are happening as tensions rise over high inflation and fears over the cost of living, although official figures for August show France’s inflation rate at 6.6% was the lowest in the European Union.

Amid a tense political context, the French government is set to pass the 2023 budget bill using special constitutional powers that would allow it to bypass a vote in parliament, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Sunday.

Trade union leaders are hoping workers will be energised by the government’s decision to force some of them to go back to work at petrol depots to try and get the fuel flowing again, a move some say put in jeopardy the right to strike.

The CGT union notably has called for continued walkouts into a fourth week at TotalEnergies, despite the oil company reaching a deal including a 7% increase and a bonus on Friday with other unions. The CGT is demanding a 10% pay rise, citing inflation and huge profits made by the firm.

Strikes have already spilt over into other parts of the energy sector, including at nuclear giant EDF where maintenance work crucial for Europe’s power supply will be delayed.

A representative of the FNME-CGT union on Monday told Reuters strikes were affecting work at 10 French nuclear power plants, with further maintenance delays at 13 reactors and French power production reduced by a total of 2.2 gigawatts.

France strikes: Transport hit amid nationwide walkout over pay and cost of living
Source: Reporters View PH