The economy in France has been crippled by a strike wave that has been ongoing since December 2019.  Initially in response to pension reforms by the Macron Government, the strike wave has affected broad sectors of the economy including postal services, airlines, manufacturing,  schools, hospitals just to name a few.  It’s even included the arts – with actors, writers and other artists participating in the strikes.

But are those pensions really the reason for the mass activity on the streets and this level of industrial action, or is there an underlying economic desperation, for which these pensions were just a catalyst?