France braces for major transport disruption as unions call for nationwide strikes, demonstrations
France is bracing for a major disruption in public transport services as the sector is expected to be hit hard by forthcoming strikes and protests against controversial pension reforms proposed by the government of President Emmanuel Macron.
The announcement was made by the country's Transport Minister Clement Beaune on Sunday, as trade unions across the country called for a day of nationwide strikes and demonstrations on Tuesday to protest Macron's plan to raise the minimum retirement age.
"There will be very strong impacts," Beaune said in an interview with France 3 TV station, adding that he expected the strike to be "one of the most difficult ones" for travelers since the start of the protests. "For many it will be a real hassle," he noted.
All eight major French unions seek to bring the country "to a standstill" by throwing their support behind the nationwide industrial action.
This is the sixth time that the nation is gearing up for industrial action against the so-called reforms since the start of the year.
Organizers hope for the protests to gather monumental crowds across the country in the same way that they did on January 19, when more than one million people took to the streets to denounce the reforms.
The organizers also expect the nationwide actions would mount pressure on the parliament to reject a relevant draft legislation that has been put forward by the government.
Some unions, such as the CGT, have even gone further by calling for a rolling strike at refineries and at the national railway operator SNCF.
"We are moving up a gear," the head of CGT, Philippe Martinez, told French weekly JDD, adding, "The ball is now in the president's court. It is up to him to withdraw this reform."
SNCF, for its part, issued a statement, saying it expected one high-speed train in five to run on Tuesday, predicting that almost all of its regular trains will be cancelled.
France's public transport operator for the Ile-de-France region around Paris also said subway lines and suburban trains will be heavily disrupted, with some subway lines only running at peak hours.
Meanwhile, DGAC aviation authority announced earlier this week that it had asked airlines to reduce flights by 20 percent at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport and by 30 percent at Orly airport on March 7-8.
Through his proposed reforms, Macron is pushing to raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64, saying it is vital if the country is to avoid the collapse of the state pension system.
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