PARIS – French trade unions are staging nationwide strikes and demonstrations on Thursday, calling for higher pay and backing a growing high school protest movement. The action adds to the mounting pressure on the government.
After more than a month of frequent, large-scale protests across France, major gatherings are expected once again in Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators could take to the streets.
The strikes are expected to disrupt public transportation, while some schools may close as teachers join the walkout.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said authorities were deploying 70,000 police officers, supported by armored vehicles, drones and helicopters. French police have faced criticism over the use of force during previous demonstrations, with some protesters suffering injuries.
In a joint statement, France’s leading unions said the country was nearing recession and warned that job-cutting plans were spreading. “Fuel, food products, rent, gas, electricity … everything’s going up except wages and pensions,” they said.
France is struggling under a heavy debt burden and ranks among Europe’s weakest economic performers, alongside Italy and Belgium.
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The unions also delivered a warning to President Emmanuel Macron’s government and the country’s employers.
“Anger is immense,” they said. “The situation in this country is fragile. The pressing social and environmental challenges must be addressed without delay.”
Ahead of the strikes, the government held talks with union leaders in an effort to contain the unrest—a familiar feature of French politics. The demonstrations have already produced the country’s most serious civil disorder in years.
The movement began in September with a protest over staff shortages at a high school southeast of Paris. It soon spread nationwide, drawing students who want greater education funding as well as workers struggling with rising fuel prices and other living costs.
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