Brace for a week of strikes and protests
Public sector workers are due to walk out tomorrow, the next two-day rail strike begins on Wednesday, and far-left politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon has called for another day of protests on Saturday
Public transport, flights, schools and nurseries, as well as health and public sector services will be hit on Tuesday, as civil servants walk out in an ongoing dispute over the government's planned public service reform.
Service disruptions are expected in crèches and schools, in its energy and health sectors, at Pôle Emploi offices, in the Météo France national weather service, and public broadcasters. They will be joined by postal workers as well as rail and air staff in the third public sector protest since Emmanuel Macron was elected President in May 2017.
As reported, one in five flights are expected to be grounded as air traffic controllers strike. France’s civil aviation authority has recommended that airlines cancel 20 percent of their flights in and out of Paris Orly and airports in Lyon and Marseille.
In total, nine unions representing 5.7million public sector workers have called for strike action over government plans to cut 120,000 public-sector positions by the end of Mr Macron’s term in 2022.
The FO transport and logistics federation, which is threatening its own strike from June 3 over issues specific to road hauliers, has called on members to join the protests in support of civil servants and railway workers.
More than 130 demonstrations are scheduled to take place in towns and cities across the country on Tuesday, with the Paris march due to set off from the Place de la République at 2pm and head southeast for the Place de la Nation.
The latest two-day rail strike over planned reforms of SNCF will begin on Wednesday, days after a survey published in the Journal du Dimanche found that 58% of French people believed the protest was "unjustified", a 2% increase on a study from a week previously. Like the road hauliers' union, SUD-Rail, however, has urged members to join Tuesday's protests.
Meanwhile, La France Insoumise president Jean-Luc Mélenchon has called another “party” for Macron in the streets of Paris on Saturday, following up on a similar mass gathering of anti-Macron factions in the French capital on May 5.
Eighty parties and associations are expected to take part in those protests.
