Massive French rail strike begins in test for Macron
Paris, France
And with stoppages planned two days out of five until June 28, weeks of disruption lie ahead for France’s 4.5mn daily train passengers.
“We have been asking for the same thing for several weeks - that the government completely reconsider its plan. They need to start again from scratch,” Philippe Martinez, head of the CGT trade union, told France Inter radio.
Staff at Air France, garbage collectors and some energy workers are also staging separate walkouts in a growing atmosphere of social strife 11 months after 40 year old Macron came to power.
Public support for the rail were snarled with an ‘exceptional’ 370km of traffic jams during the morning rush hour before easing, according to traffic website Sytadin.
At the capital’s busy Gare du Lyon station, the platforms were so crammed that a woman fell onto the tracks and had to be helped out by fellow passengers.
But major regional stations including Nice, Lille and Marseille were virtually deserted as travellers anticipated cancellations.
Three-quarters of Eurostar trains to London and Brussels were running and Thalys trains towards Belgium and the Netherlands were operating almost normally, but there were none at all to Spain, Italy or Switzerland.
At Air France, where staff are striking for the fourth time in a month to demand a pay rise, managers said 75 per cent of flights would operate. Further walkouts are planned at the airline for April 7, 10 and 11.
Thanks to the Internet and mobile apps - technology unavailable the last time France saw rolling rail strikes on a comparable scale in 1995 - many commuters were able to work from home on Monday or arrange carpools. There was no respite expected before the second day of walkouts on Wednesday, and the economy is set to take a hit as the strike rumbles on.