Trade unions led street demonstrations in cities across France on Thursday as teachers, district nurses and lawyers joined strike action over pension changes, as the country’s longest transport stoppages in decades entered their 36th day, reports The Guardian.
By morning rush-hour, there were more than 124 miles (200km) of traffic jams in the greater Paris area as public transport was badly disrupted, leaving millions of commuters struggling to get to work.
More than a third of teachers stopped work across the country and dozens of schools closed in the capital. Rail services across France were severely hit and there were warnings of potential delays and disruption to flights. Energy workers were also striking, with refinery stoppages. Thousands of police officers were poised for a protest march in the centre of Paris.
It is more than a week since Emmanuel Macron called for a “quick compromise” to end the biggest strikes of his presidency. The government hopes negotiations over the next 24 hours end the deadlock over changes to the pensions system. But to achieve this, officials must win over the moderate CFDT union, whose leader, Laurent Berger, said on Wednesday night: “We are far from a deal.” Talks will resume on Friday.