France gears up for protests, strikes over budget cuts

Teachers, train drivers, pharmacists and hospital staff are among workers expected to strike in France on Thursday as part of a day of protests against looming budget cuts.

Unions are calling for more spending on public services, more tax on the wealthy and for the scrapping of an unpopular change to state pensions.

The social unrest comes as President Emmanuel Macron and his newly appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu are facing a political crisis and pressure to bring finances under control in the euro zone's second largest economy.

An Interior Ministry source said that as many as 800,000 people were expected to take part in the strikes and protests. 

WORKERS ANGRY OVER FISCAL PLANS

"The workers we represent are angry," the country's main unions said in a joint statement in which they rejected the previous government's "brutal" and "unfair" fiscal plans.

France's budget deficit last year was close to double the EU's 3 per cent ceiling but much as he wants to reduce that, Lecornu - reliant on other parties to push through legislation - will face a political battle to gather parliamentary support for a budget for 2026.

Lecornu was appointed prime minister last week after parliament ousted Francois Bayrou over his plan for a 44 billion euro (around $52 billion) budget squeeze. The new prime minister has not yet said what he will do with Bayrou's plans, although he has opened the door to making compromises.

"We will continue to mobilise as long as there is no adequate response," CGT union chief Sophie Binet said after meeting with Lecornu earlier this week. "The budget will be decided in the streets."

PROTESTS EXPECTED TO HIT SCHOOLS, TRAINS

One in three primary school teachers will strike, the FSU-SNUipp union said. Power company EDF said some of its workers would be on strike.

Widespread disruption is expected on the metro network in Paris and regional trains will be also heavily affected, while most of the country's high-speed TGV train lines will work, officials said.

The farmers' union Confederation Paysanne has also called for mobilisation. Pharmacists are angry over changes affecting their business and the USPO pharmacists' union said a survey it did among pharmacies showed 98 per cent could close for the day.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told BFM TV that 80,000 police and gendarmes will be deployed.

Riot units, drones and armoured vehicles will be on hand to counter what Retailleau said was possible sabotage and attempts to block various sites early in the day. He said he also expected some violent troublemakers to try to clash with police.