French trade unions are joining forces on Thursday for nationwide strikes and demonstrations for higher wages and in support of the high school protest movement, piling new pressure on the beleaguered government.
After more than a month of regular and large protests across France, major rallies are again expected in Paris, Lyon and Marseille, with hundreds of thousands of people likely to turn out.
Transportation chaos is expected and some schools could be shut as teachers join the strike.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that 70,000 police are being deployed, backed by armored vehicles, drones and helicopters. Police have been criticized for injuring protesters with heavy-handed tactics.
In a joint statement, France’s main unions warned that the country is on the brink of recession and that layoff plans are multiplying: “Fuel, food products, rent, gas, electricity … everything’s going up except wages and pensions," they said.
France is mired in debt and is one of the worst economic performers in Europe, along with Italy and Belgium.
The unions put President Emmanuel Macron’s government and employers on notice.
“Anger is immense," they said. "The situation in this country is fragile. The pressing social and environmental challenges must be addressed without delay.”
Before the strike action, the government had been negotiating with unions — a familiar scenario in French politics — in hopes of limiting the rioting, which has resulted in France's worst civil unrest in years.
The movement grew from a protest over staff shortages at one high school southeast of Paris in September and spread nationwide, attracting students demanding more education funding and workers seeking help with soaring fuel and other costs.
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