The aforementioned strikes and protests in France are due to an unpopular measure to introduce the country’s retirement age from 62 to 64. France’s Prime Minister has described the move as ‘non-negotiable’, but trade unions are simply not having it.
As reported by France24, there will be more union strikes and protests in France tomorrow.
“France’s eight major unions, in a rare show of unity, said they hoped to “mobilise even more massively” on Tuesday, their next scheduled protest day, than at the January 19 rallies,” reports France24.
Connexion France adds that up to 2 million people could take part in protests tomorrow, which are guaranteed to impact public transport.
However, other sectors, including freight, could be affected too. During last weeks equivalent protests, some Calais Port staff refused to go to work, while some staff at refineries also walked out, delaying fuel deliveries.
In addition to the above, the situation for cross-channel haulage has been further complicated by Border Force strikes that have been planned for February 1st.
In a notice concerning the strike, the UK Government has said hauliers who are moving goods during the proposed strike action on Wednesday should be “prepared for potential disruption and longer queues at ports and inland border facilities”.
The government adds that hauliers should be “be prepared for delays” and should “carefully plan” their movements if they coincide with days of strike action.
Photo: MPD01605, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons