Strikes, protests against labour law reform in France

Several trade unions in France organised a series of strikes and protests on Tuesday against a labour law reform set to be passed by a presidential decree.

The General Confederation of Labour (CGT), the National Union of Autonomous Trade Unions (UNSA) and the student union UNEF called for protests against President Emmanuel Macron's plans, which aim to make the labour market more flexible, reports Efe news.

The decree is expected to be passed by the French government on September 22 for an immediate application.

The strikes, which are not expected to significantly affect the private sector, focused on the fields of administration, energy and public transport, particularly railways.

French railway company SNCF said it would maintain all its high-speed trains (TGV) heading for the Netherlands, London and Spain.

It added that a total of between 10 and 50 per cent of conventional long-distance trains would be suspended according to their "destination".

Though the Paris metropolitan area's public transport was functioning almost normally in the morning, other cities like Lyon, Marseilles and Nice reported problems.

Low-cost airline Ryanair announced the cancellation of 110 flights, while Air France had no intention of cancelling any flights, although it acknowledged that delays could take place.

Around 200 protests are set to take place throughout the country on Tuesday, with the largest one expected to be in Paris.

--IANS

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