This archive report was first published on 24 December 2019.
Christmas travel plans have been ruined for tens of thousands of French ticket holders, unable to reach loved ones in time for Christmas Day on Wednesday, now in its 20th day.
Workers at the national SNCF and Parisian RATP rail and public transport companies have downed tools to protest the government's plan to merge France's 42 pension schemes into a single points-based system, which would see some public employees lose certain privileges.
As a result, up to 40 percent of high-speed rail and express regional trains have been cancelled, along with up to 20 percent of other trains, causing significant disruptions to travel plans.
On Tuesday evening, trains between Paris and its suburbs will be halted, with some lines reopening on Wednesday morning and others only on Thursday.
Laurent Brun of the hard-line CGT union stated that strikers have a 'set of plans to celebrate Christmas' together while maintaining action all week-long.
Despite talks between the government and unions last week failing to find middle ground, the government has agreed to meet with trade unions and others involved in the strike on January 7 to discuss the pension reforms, which are set to run through the month of January.
Unions are angry about the government's plans, which would see some public employees, notably railway staff, lose early-retirement and other benefits, and are hoping for a repeat of 1995 when the government backed down on pension reform after three weeks of metro and rail stoppages just before Christmas.
However, the strike is taking a heavy toll on businesses, especially retailers, hotels, and restaurants, during what should be one of the busiest periods of the year.
