(MENAFN- AFP) Striking French workers disrupted oil refineries and nuclear power stations and halted planes and trains on Thursday in mounting industrial action against labour market reforms.
Union activists blocked bridges while train drivers and air traffic controllers walked off the job.
Fresh rallies were due to be held in Paris and other cities in the latest bout of social unrest that started three months ago and has frequently turned violent.
With just two weeks to go until France hosts Euro 2016 football championships, unions called for rolling strikes on the Paris Metro to start on the day of the opening match on June 10.
Unions called off some blockades on fuel depots and refineries in the north of the country, but many motorists were still stuck in long queues at petrol stations around France.
Under intense pressure, Prime Minister Manuel Valls vowed the labour law would not be withdrawn, but said it might still be possible to make "changes" or "improvements".
The divisions within the Socialist government were laid bare when Finance Minister Michel Sapin suggested the most contested part of the legislation should be re-written.
Valls slapped Sapin down and ruled out revamping the clause, which gives companies more of a free hand in setting working conditions.
On Wednesday, Valls lashed out at the CGT union that is driving the protests, insisting they did "not make the law in France."
In fresh comments on Thursday, he branded the union "irresponsible".
The CGT said all but three of France's 19 power stations have voted to stop work.
RTE, the body overseeing the national power network, said the stoppages were not having an immediate effect on the electricity supply, but "if it worsens, it will have an impact on the management of the network".
France gets 75 percent of its electricity from nuclear power.
- 'I blame the government' -
A third of petrol stations were dry or dangerously low on fuel after several days of blockades at refineries by union activists.
One refinery returned to operation after the activists ended their strike, but five of the country's eight refineries are still either halted or operating at reduced capacity.
Pierre Jata, a 40-year-old cable TV technician was rushing to fill up at a petrol station on the edge of the capital, minutes before supplies ran out.
"Obviously, if you don't have petrol you can't get to work," he told AFP.
He laid the blame for the disruption on the government.
"I'm with the unions. I'm with them but I'm still annoyed," he said.
The government has been forced to tap into its strategic reserves and President Francois Hollande has vowed to do "everything... to ensure the French people and the economy is supplied".
Meanwhile, strikes forced Orly airport in Paris to ground 15 percent of flights and the commuter and national train networks were hit, with one in five high-speed trains cancelled.
The CGT has called for another day of action on June 14, raising concerns for fans travelling to Euro 2016 matches being held at 10 venues around France.
The contested labour market reforms are designed to make it easier for companies to hire and fire workers.
Many organisations, including the International Monetary Fund, have said they are necessary to create jobs.
But unions are demanding the reforms be scrapped altogether, arguing they are too pro-business and unlikely to bring down high unemployment.
The government forced the controversial legislation through parliament earlier this month without a vote, further infuriating opponents.
Unions say they have popular support for the protests and they were cheered by a poll carried out on Thursday that showed nearly two-thirds of people believe the action is "justified".
Germany's finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble Thursday backed the French government's attempts to reform.
"France is obviously not unreformable," Schaeuble told journalists. "France can live with such disputes."
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