French union leaders led a nationwide strike to protest low wages and planned reforms to pensions and unemployment benefits. 

Paris, October 6 (RHC)-- In France, union leaders led a nationwide strike to protest low wages and planned reforms to pensions and unemployment benefits. Workers are hoping to put pressure on the government of Emmanuel Macron ahead of next year’s presidential election. 

One union organizer said: “Everyone’s purchasing power is going down, that of pensioners, of workers, of those who are unemployed, of the disabled.  It’s disgusting.  Billions of euros are there.  We just saw that tax evasion accounts for billions and billions of euros around the world.  That could be enough to pay salaries in the hospitals, in the schools, a decent public service."