France in chaos, no "truce" even for Christmas

Strikers in France are so angry with President Macron's plans that they have decided to use the Christmas holiday to press their demands. The main focus is on rail transport. No major changes are expected, the SNCF announced. The union alliance is even expanding: the CGT, FO and SUD unions, which have been on strike so far, have now been joined by the moderate CFDT railway workers' union.

Protests and strikes against the central government's planned pension reform have been ongoing for about two and a half weeks. On Monday, an average of 40 percent of TGV high-speed trains were running. Connections with Germany are also affected.

Demonstrators also temporarily blocked traffic on metro line 1, one of the few in the capital where trains continue to run. French Environment Minister Elisabeth Borne condemned the act: the right to strike does not allow for blockages and intimidation of passengers, she said. A “difficult point” in the negotiations remains the future retirement age, as the CFDT said.

The government's plans stipulate that it will actually increase from 62 to 64. Pension reform is the main promise of Macron's reform. He wants to unify the complicated system with 42 different regulations in France and reduce the deficit of billions of euros in pension funds.