PARIS: France was on Friday preparing for a second day of travel cancellations and school closures as unions warned there would be no let-up in the strike called to protest planned pension reforms.
"The strike is not going to stop tonight," added Philippe Martinez, secretary general of the CGT union, late on Thursday.Advertisement Bike paths were packed as commuters turned to bicycles and electric scooters while ride-hailing companies were offering special strike promotions. But railway workers, opera employees and a host of other workers have more advantageous schemes, with train drivers for example generally retiring in their early fifties.Police fired teargas to disperse small groups of rioters in Paris as well as in the southeastern city of Lyon and western city of Nantes.But the dozens of demonstrations held nationwide were mainly peaceful.