LOC22:00
19:00 GMT
PARIS, Dec 4 (KUNA) -- Commuters throughout France face chaotic conditions Thursday as major public services - led by the transport sector - down tools for an unlimited strike in protest at government reforms of retirement age.
Rail operator SNCF said that only 10 percent of mainline trains will be running and a similar percentage of urban rail services are to be provided. In some area, intra-regional services will be non-existent.
The strike is also affecting schools, power sector employees, hospitals, justice personnel and other sectors.
But it is the key transport sector that will put the crucial stranglehold on mobility and people's ability to get to work.
In the important Paris hub, eleven Metro subway lines out of fourteen will be closed completely. Only two driver-less, automated lines - Line 1 and Line 14 - will be running fully but these are expected to be saturated, according to the RATP local transport authority.
Regional (RER) services in Paris will also be badly affected, with only 30 percent to 50 percent of services running at rush hour, while others will have no services.
Normally, over four million commuters use the regional Paris system on a single day but on Thursday many have sought alternatives to get to work or are staying at home for the day.
Only one third of the 4,500 Paris buses will be operating, according to the RATP.
Similar disruptions are expected in many cities around the country and more than 200 protest marches are planned by unions, all of which support the unlimited strike action.
The Police Prefecture in Paris said that 6,000 officers will be mobilised for the major protest rally planned for Paris Thursday afternoon.
There are some fears that violent anarchists may seek to infiltrate the peaceful demonstrations and provoke clashes with riot police and also damage public and private property.
Teachers and education-sector employees have also issued a strike warning and 78 percent of grade school teachers in Paris are downing tools, with about 55 percent staying at home on a national level.
Workers at electricity company ERDF are also calling for a strike but no major power cuts are expected for Thursday, at any rate.
Flights in or out of France are expected to be maintained at 80 percent as only one air traffic controllers union has said it will strike, but delays are also expected and passengers are urged to check their flights before heading to the airport.
Despite the heavy impact on workers and travellers here, 70 percent support the strike action that they see as necessary to protect retirement benefits.
The government is seeking to end "special regimes" for a number of sectors whereby employees in those sectors can retire before the legal age of 62.
The SNCF is one company where this "early" retirement is possible, sometimes from age 50 to 57 in views of the difficult work conditions for train drivers.
But the government argues that the job of train driver has evolved and is much easier than before so retirement ages should be brought in line with the other sectors of the economy, which would mean retirement at 62 for all employees. (end)
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