Transport strike brings France to a standstill

Three unions—SUD Rail, Force Ouvrière and the Autonomous General Federation of Drivers (FGAAC)—have called for the 24-hour stoppage to be extended.

The General Confederation of Labour (CGT), which is politically dominated by the Communist Party of France, as well as the Socialist Party-aligned French Democratic Federation of Labour (CFDT), have opposed any extension of the strike and called on workers to wait until negotiations have been held with the government.

However, broad sections of rail workers defied the main union federations and called for continued strike action at mass meetings held Thursday morning. Some 95 percent of workers at train stations in Paris, Marseilles and Lyons voted to prolong the strike. In Paris, public transport workers voted to join the strike. Mass meetings are to be held again Friday morning to decide on the next step.