French strikes challenge Macron

PARIS: Tens of thousands of nurses, teachers and other public sector workers joined forces to march against French President Emmanuel Macron’s reforms yesterday, causing widespread travel disruption and bringing brief clashes with police in some cities.

While the vast majority of around 180 demonstrations nationwide were peaceful, scuffles erupted between police and hooded young protesters in Paris and the western city of Nantes, where security forces fired tear gas and water cannons.

It was the first time public sector workers, ranging from airtraffic controllers to civil servants, had joined rail workers and pensioners to protest over the economic reforms Macron has sought to introduce since he took office last May.

About 323,000 public sectors walked off the job, according to the interior ministry. Unions put the figure at 500,000.

In Paris, protesters denounced Macron’s proposals to trim some retirement benefits, overhaul unemployment insurance and shake up the highly indebted staterun rail company SNCF, with some chanting: ‘‘Together, let’s derail Macron!’’

Public sector workers are angry with plans to cut the public sector headcount by 120,000 by 2022, including via voluntary redundancies, and oppose the introduction of meritbased pay. — Reuters

PHOTO: REUTERS On the attack . . . French riot police use water cannons during clashes with masked protesters attending a demonstration during a national day of strike against reforms in Paris yesterday.