Nationwide general strike set for 19th March

French unions have called for a nationwide strike on 19 March 2009 to protest against the government's economic policies. Participation in the strike is likely to be high, with recent opinion polls indicating that nearly 75 percent of French people support the nationwide day of action. Strikes are expected to cause disruptions to transport throughout the country. Unions representing employees of the state railway company SNCF will observe a strike from 2000 local time (1900 UTC) on 18 March until 0800 local time (0700 UTC) on 19 March. TGV (high-speed train) services will operate at 60 percent capacity on average, with different parts of the system affected at varying degrees. Eurostar services, which connect continental Europe with the United Kingdom, will not be affected. In the aviation sector, eight Air France unions will participate in the strike, but the airline's management does not anticipate any significant disruptions. Apart from work stoppages, more than 200 demonstrations and rallies are scheduled to occur in cities across the country. A one-day nationwide strike held over the same economic issues in January 2009 resulted in widespread disruptions to transportation and other public services throughout the country.