Paris metro workers join national strike

Workers on the Paris metro and suburban rail networks are joining French national rail workers on strike, just over a week before the Euro 2016 football championship is due to begin

2 June 2016, 7:51am

1 min read

Commuters crowd the platform at Gare Saint Lazare in Paris during rail strike

Trade unions in France are protesting against work time changes but the strike comes amid general labour unrest. The wider protests are over labour reform Bill which will go to Senate this month, having passed through the lower house without a vote.

In addition, dock workers are expected to stop work and hold their own protest.

Despite all this, the disruption to public transport in Paris is expected to be limited.

The BBC reports the state rail company SNCF saying that about 60% of high-speed trains and between a third and a half of other services were expected to be running on the national rail network.

France's socialist president, Francois Hollande, insists the Bill will not be withdrawn despite months of unrest.

This unrest led to street clashes between protesters and police at marches last Thursday.

On the other hand, leading conservative opposition politician Nicolas Sarkozy disagrees with the president, according to the BBC.

"Pushing [the Bill] through by force cuts out debate," the former president told magazine Valeurs Actuelles.

"If you don't accept the debate of ideas in parliament, then it moves to the streets."

Strike action led by the powerful CGT union began on Tuesday evening – the eighth railway strike in France in three months.