French students block the entrance of the Lycee Montaigne high school to protest as part of a nationwide day of strike in Paris, France, October 18, 2022.
REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesPARIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - French trade unions began a nationwide strike on Tuesday, asking for higher salaries amid decades-high inflation and posing President Emmanuel Macron one of his stiffest challenges since his reelection in May.
French public railway operator SNCF said that traffic on local connections was down 50% but that there were no major disruptions on national lines.
Civil service workers' unions have also called for joining Tuesday's strike, with possible disruptions in schools and other public facilities.
The leader of hard-left party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), Jean-Luc Melenchon, marched alongside this year's Nobel Prize winner for Literature, Annie Ernaux.