French strikes over pension reform move into ‘higher gear’

Labour unions in France are striking to force President Macron to abandon his planned rise in the retirement age. Transport workers, truckers and nuclear plant technicians are going on rolling strikes, while energy sector workers are cutting production at EDF's nuclear reactors.

March 7, 2023 . 6:19 PM

1 min read

Labour unions vowed to bring the country to a standstill to force President Emmanuel Macron to abandon his planned rise in the retirement age.
Almost two-thirds of primary schoolteachers and one-quarter of civil servants were on strike.
France's national railway cancelled three-quarters of trains, while airlines cancelled about one-third of their scheduled flights.
Energy sector workers cut production at EDF's nuclear reactors and other power plants to remove roughly a fifth of the usual daily electricity consumption.
Macron's centrist alliance consists of about 250 MPs so the government needs to win over opposition politicians to reach 289 votes, or convince some to abstain to get to a majority.