Thousands of train, subway and bus workers, joined by staff at state-run gas and electricity companies went on strike November 14 in protest at President Nicolas Sarkozy's proposals to cut pensions for some public sector workers.
To add to the chaos civil servants started a 24-hour strike Tuesday in protest against current government policies on unemployment and low wages increasing the pressure on Sarkozy.
Mass demonstrations took place in Marseilles, where according to police some 12,000 protesters hit the streets, while strike organizers said the number exceeded 60,000. Other large-scale protests took place across France with thousands demonstrating in Rouen, Grenoble, Strasbourg and Lyon.
The finance ministry said the strikes were costing France around $580 million a day.
The strikes are the largest in France since 1995 when three weeks of general strikes in France almost paralyzed the country's transportation infrastructure.
