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French rail unions call for rolling strikes in March

All of the unions representing French rail workers have called for 'renewable' strikes in March, joining other workers including Paris public transport staff and waste collectors who have called rolling strikes in the ongoing dispute over pension reform.

Published: 27 February 2023 17:04 CET

French rail unions call for rolling strikes in March

Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP

The ongoing dispute between the French government and unions over proposed reforms to the pension system – including raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 – have so far taken the form of a series of one-day strikes.

The next of these is scheduled for Tuesday, March 7th, but a growing number of unions are calling for a grève reconductible – renewable or rolling strike – that will begin on March 7th but continue indefinitely.

On Monday unions representing SNCF rail workers became the latest to call for a renewable strike, following workers on the Paris RATP public transport network and waste collectors.

Workers in the country’s chemical industry – including oil refinery workers – are also set to begin renewable strike action from March 6th. Their action is likely to including blockading oil refineries in order to prevent deliveries of petrol and diesel getting through to filling stations.

The rail strikes will have an impact on all French national trains – including TGV, Intercité and local TER routes – and may also affect international routes like the Eurostar.

SNCF will publish a detailed strike timetable on Monday, March 6th.

For the moment, unions representing other industries including teachers are sticking to the on-day strike, but further announcements could be made this week.

Keep up with all the latest in our French pension strike calendar

Member comments

Anonymous - 6 March 2023 at 17:13 CET

I’ll be interested not see if the bond market drastically bids up the interest rates on French debt in the event of a failure of the reform. Could France become the next Greece?

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Can I use my American Express card in France?

While many European establishments do accept American Express cards, outside of the US they are significantly less common and many businesses, especially smaller ones, refuse them.

Why are American Express cards not accepted?

According to Forbes, it has to do with the fact that American Express is known for charging “higher merchant fees than other credit card networks.

“In other words: It’s more cost-efficient for many businesses (especially low-margin ones) to take Visa or Mastercard instead.”

The business magazine also noted that American Express credit card transactions made up just 4.61 percent globally. Whereas Visa and Mastercard transactions were significantly more common – making up 38 percent and 24 percent of the market share respectively.

READ MORE: Is it a good idea to rent a car in Paris?

What should I do if I have an AmEx card?

Travel blogs often recommend that AmEx holders bring along a Visa or Mastercard as well, in case they run into issues.

You can also consult American Express’ interactive map, which shows the businesses in France that definitely accept the card.

However, the map may not show every business that accepts AmEx, so feel free to ask (est-ce que vous acceptez les cartes ‘American Express’?) before sitting down for a meal or making a purchase.

You can also look to see whether the store displays an AmEx sticker in the window.

Generally, American Express cards are less likely to be accepted in small businesses – neighbourhood restaurants, cafés or independent shops – due to the reasons outlined above. You have a better chance of your AmEx card being accepted in larger companies and chains.

It’s also not accepted by all French apps for payment – so for example if you’re buying national rail tickets you can use AmEx for the SNCF Connect app, but it is not accepted by the Paris public transport app Ile de France Mobilities (which offers digital Metro, bus and tram tickets).

Any other things to consider?

Contactless payment (sans contact) is becoming much more common in France, albeit only for lower-value purchases. If your AmEx card does not have the chip that allows you to tap and pay, then you may want to take cash out or bring another card along.

If you still have an old-style card that requires swiping and signing, be aware that most smaller French businesses do not have this payment option.

ATMs should accept your AmEx card, so you should not have any issues being able to put in your pin number and take out cash, though there may be fees.

You’ll also want to look into the transaction fees associated with your card. Some AmEx cards offer the benefit of no foreign transaction fees, while others still charge them.

Finally, while AmEx no longer requires cardholders to inform them ahead of time if they will be travelling abroad, they still recommend “keeping your contact information updated in case we need to contact you while you’re away” and “downloading the Amex mobile app to conveniently manage your account on the go.”

READ MORE: Brits, Americans or Germans – who visits France the most?

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