France set for more nationwide strikes and protests against pension reforms

Several sectors have been paralysed by strikes, which have led to blockade of oil refineries and rubbish piling up on streets of Paris

Demonstrators gather in Paris for the 11th national day of protest action over pension reforms this year. AFP

France is bracing for a new round of nationwide strikes and protests against pension reforms after talks between labour unions and the government failed.

The country has been rocked by continuing protests, which have at times turned violent, in response to the changes, under which the retirement age will rise by two years to 64.

Protests against the reforms have drawn crowds of hundreds of thousands in rallies organised by unions since January, resulting in the postponement of a state visit by Britain's King Charles III late last month.

Several sectors have been paralysed by walkouts, leading to the blockade of oil refineries and the piling up of rubbish on the streets of Paris.

Labour groups vowed to dig in their heels after talks with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Wednesday — which lasted only an hour — failed to calm the situation.

They said the only way out of the crisis was for the legislation to be pulled, an option which Ms Borne rejected.

Laurent Berger, head of the country's biggest union CFDT, called "a maximum of workers, men and women, to join the marches across France tomorrow".

"We're in a social crisis, a democratic crisis," Mr Berger told RTL radio, urging Mr Macron yet again to withdraw the reform.

Thursday's marches — the 11th day of protests in the past three months — could provide an indication of whether the drawn-out rallies are losing steam or gaining momentum.

The previous day of demonstrations on March 28 drew smaller crowds than before, the Interior Ministry said, with 740,000 people protesting across the country compared with a record 1.28 million on March 7.

Paris public transport operator RATP predicted traffic would be almost normal on Thursday. Trains were also less heavily disrupted than in previous days of strikes against the reform.

Pension reform strikes continue in France - in pictures

Civil aviation authority asked airlines to cut flights by 20 per cent in cities such as Bordeaux and Marseille, but not at Paris airports like on previous strike days.

About 20 per cent of primary schoolteachers are also expected to join the strike, local media quoted the Snuipp-FSU union as saying, down from 30 per cent for March 28.

Strikes are still disrupting operations at oil refineries and nuclear plants, while rubbish collectors have vowed to resume their protest from next week.

The latest wave of demonstrations represents the most serious challenge to the authority of President Emmanuel Macron, currently on a state visit to China, since the Yellow Vest revolt four years ago.

Polls show a wide majority of French oppose the pension legislation and the government's decision to push it through parliament without a vote.

But a source close to Mr Macron said that was not what mattered.

"If the role of a president of the republic is to make decisions according to public opinion, there is no need to have elections," the source said.

"Being president is to assume choices that may be unpopular at a given time."

A key date will be April 14, when the Constitutional Council gives its verdict on the pension bill. Experts say it is unlikely to strike it down — and the government will hope the protests ultimately fizzle out.