Unions call strike for salary increases ahead of French presidential election

French trade unions have called a national strike Thursday to demand salary and pension increases, less than a month before the presidential elections.

During the last nationwide strike on 27 January, public service workers and labour unions demonstrated to defend wages and employment. © Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

A day after the government unveiled an economic recovery plan in the face of the war with Ukraine, in which it promised to increase wages for public service employees, trade unions are calling for a general salary increases, in the face of soaring fuel prices and the general cost of living.

"The only solution against expensive costs of living is an increase in salaries and pensions,” Philippe Martinez, the leader of the CGT trade union, told L'Humanité newspaper.

He also called for a reduction of VAT tax on petrol, gas and electricity, as prices are increasing due to the war in Ukraine, and Europe’s pulling away from Russian gas imports.

Some 150 marches are planned by the CGT, FSU, Solidaires and Unsa unions, along with several high school student unions.

Communist Party presidential candidate Fabien Roussel, hard-left France Unbowed leader ad presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, along with Philippe Poutou, candidate for the anti-capitalist NPA party, said they would attend the Paris demonstration.

Transport chaos

During the last nationwide strike on 27 January, some 89,000 people took to the streets across the country, according to authorities - over 150,000 according to organisers.

Thursday's strike is expected to draw fewer people, and disrupt transport much less than a transport strike in February, except for the the eastern TGV line, where only half of scheduled trains between Paris and Strasbourg, Reims and Metz/Nancy are running.

Workers for RATP, which runs the Paris metro, are holding out for another strike day planned next week, on 25 March.

(with AFP)