Striking French rail staff up pressure on Govt
14 May 2018 5:48 PM GMT
Paris: French rail workers sought to up the ante in weeks of strikes on Monday, slashing the number of trains running as the government insists it will not back down in the standoff.
Monday marked the 18th day of strikes since early April against President Emmanuel Macron's overhaul aimed at making the SNCF, France's heavily indebted state rail operator, more competitive.
Fewer and fewer rail staff have been taking part in the strikes as the weeks have gone on, and the Unsa union had said it was "vital to deal a heavy blow" to pressure the government into making concessions.
In the southern port city of Marseille, traffic came to a complete standstill for several hours after a power cut which the SNCF said was likely an "act of sabotage".
An overhead cable was also cut between Paris and the northwestern region of Normandy, cutting off traffic, though there was no indication that those on strike were behind it.
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