Add Category
Paris: French rail workers have begun a three-month rolling strike, causing travel chaos and presenting the toughest challenge yet to President Emmanuel Macron's resolve to reform the country's economy.
Nearly one in two train drivers, conductors and signal-box workers went on strike on Tuesday, bringing widespread disruption to Paris commuter lines and France's high-speed TGV network.
French riot police detain a protester during a rail workers demonstration in Paris, on Tuesday. French unions plan strikes two days every week through to June.
Photo: APMacron wants to transform the heavily-indebted, state-run SNCF into a profit-making public service able to stand up to foreign competition when its monopoly ends in line with EU regulations. The SNCF loses €3 billion ($4.7 billion) annually. Its boss, Guillaume Pepy, estimates each strike day will cost the company €20 million.
French riot police stand next a burning rubbish bin during the protests in Paris.
Photo: APThe Macron government wants an agreement on scrapping special employment benefits enjoyed by rail workers, including job-for-life guarantees and early retirement, before discussing how much SNCF debt the Treasury absorbs.