French rail workers went on strike late today, kicking off a 24-hour, nationwide protest called by major trade unions furious over government plans to reform the pensions system and lift the retirement age, according to Reuters. Other public sector workers are expected to join the strike on Thursday, with transport, education and state administration all expected to be hit in a show of force pitting the powerful unions against President Nicolas Sarkozy. Some 200 demonstrations are planned across France in what unions hope will be a foretaste of huge protests from September when the contested reform goes to parliament for approval. Francois Chereque, head of the moderate CFDT union, told Europe 1 radio he was counting on a "very big demonstration" against "Europe's most violent (pension reform)." The government unveiled its planned overhaul of the pay-as-you-go pensions system last week, saying that without major changes the system would run up annual deficits of 100 billion euros by 2050. The centrepiece of the plan is a move to lift the minimum retirement age to 62 -- still lower than in many of France's neighbours, but nonetheless breaking a significant taboo in a country which saw retirement at 60 as a basic human right. The SNCF rail union predicted heavy traffic disruption starting late on Wednesday and continuing throughout Thursday, with only one train running out of two on average on high-speed, international and regional services. Flights at Paris' Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports will also be reduced by 15 percent on Thursday between 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and 2 p.m. (1200 GMT) due to strike warnings by workers in the industry, civil aviation authority said. It did not specify which workers were likely to strike. "The mobilisation will certainly be strong, we are expecting it, we are not dreading it," said Labour Minister Eric Woerth. Sarkozy has spent considerable political on the pension plan, which is likely to be the government last big reforms before his expected re-election bid in 2012.
