Workers at the French state railway, SNCF, are set to begin a strike Monday evening that could lead to three months of train stoppages in that nation. This is the latest in a series of strikes that have protested French president Emmanual Macron's efforts to alter public sector working conditions, following last months walkouts by rail staff that were joined by teachers, nurses, and other public sector workers. Similar strikes last fall were unsuccessful in stopping Macron's government from passing laws easing restrictions on hiring and firing.
See "French SNCF rail strike to defy Macron labour reforms", BBC News Online, April 2, 2018