Day of strikes in France challenges new prime minister's budget plans

Audio By Carbonatix

PARIS (AP) — Protesters hit France with transport strikes, notably targeting the Paris Metro, blockades and demonstrations Thursday, pitting the power of the streets against President Emmanuel Macron 's government and its plans to cut funding for public services that underpin the French way of life.

The first scuffles between police and protesters came before the break of day, in Paris. Demonstrations were planned nationwide, from France's biggest cities to small towns.

Major trade unions that called strikes are pushing for the abandonment of proposed budget cuts, social welfare freezes and other belt-tightening that opponents contend will further erode the purchasing power of low-paid and middle-class workers and which triggered the collapse of successive governments that sought to push them through.

The planned day of upheaval — with strikes also impacting schools, industry and other sectors of the European Union's second-largest economy — aimed to turn up the heat on new Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. Macron appointed him last week, tasking Lecornu with the job of building support in Parliament for proposed budget cuts that brought down his immediate predecessors but which the government insists are needed to rein in France’s massive deficit and debt.

Unions have decried the budget proposals as brutal and punitive for workers, retirees and others who are vulnerable. They also continue to denounce Macron’s wildly unpopular pension reform that raised the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64.

The government said it was deploying police in exceptionally large numbers — about 80,000 in all — to keep order on Thursday.

French national rail company SNCF said “a few disruptions” were expected on high-speed trains to France and Europe, but most will run.

Regional rail lines, as well as the Paris Metro and commuter trains, will be more severely impacted.

In airports, only few disruptions are anticipated as the main air traffic controllers union decided to postponed its call for a strike pending the appointment of a new Cabinet.

Last week, a day of anti-government action across France saw streets choked with smoke, barricades in flames and volleys of tear gas as protesters denounced budget cuts and political turmoil.

Although falling short of its self-declared intention of total disruption, the “Block Everything” campaign still managed to paralyze parts of daily life and ignite hundreds of hot spots across the country.