France goes on strike in response to rising prices.
French labour unions went on strike demanding greater pay.
The strike will have an impact on public services such as schools and transportation.
Unions representing civil servants have also asked for their members to join the walkout on Tuesday.
PARIS: On Tuesday, French trade unions started a statewide strike, demanding greater wages despite decades of high inflation and facing President Emmanuel Macron with one of his most difficult problems since his victory in May.
The strike, which would mostly impact public sectors such as schools and transportation, is an extension of the weeks-long strike that has affected France’s major refineries and thrown the supply of gasoline at a stumbling block.
Trade union officials are hopeful that the government’s plan to compel certain employees back to work at gas stations to attempt to get the fuel flowing again will excite workers, a move that some argue jeopardises the right to strike.
More staff requisitions may occur throughout the day, according to French government spokesman Olivier Veran, as vehicles continue to queue in front of gas stations.
“There will be as many requisitions as are required… Blocking refineries after striking a wage agreement is not a common circumstance “Veran said.
The left-wing CGT union has called for additional walkouts at TotalEnergies into a fourth week, despite the oil giant striking an agreement with other, more moderate unions on Friday that included a 7% raise and a bonus. The CGT is requesting a 10% salary hike, citing inflation and the company’s massive earnings.
Eurostar said that several trains between London and Paris might be cancelled due to the strike.
According to the French state train operator SNCF, traffic on local links was down 50%, but there were no serious problems on national lines.
As tensions rise in the eurozone’s second-largest economy, strikes have already spread to other sectors of the energy industry, notably nuclear powerhouse EDF, where critical maintenance work for Europe’s power supply will be delayed.
According to a FNME-CGT union spokesman, strikes are hurting operations at 10 French nuclear power facilities, with additional maintenance delays at 13 reactors and French electricity output decreased by 2.2 gigatonnes.
Civil sector unions have also asked for their members to join the strike on Tuesday, potentially disrupting schools and other public services.
The strikes are taking place in a politically charged atmosphere, as the French government plans to approve the 2023 budget using extraordinary constitutional powers that would enable it to avoid a vote in parliament, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced on Sunday.
Demonstrations are planned around the nation, with one beginning at 1200 GMT in Paris.
Thousands of people marched through Paris on Sunday to protest rising costs. Jean-Luc Melenchon, the head of the hard-left group La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), marched with this year’s Nobel Prize laureate for Literature, Annie Ernaux. On Tuesday, Melenchon declared a countrywide strike.
