Never mind burning tyres, French strikes not what they used to be

A French CGT labour union employee at French oil giant Total throws a tyre onto a burning barricade to block the entrance of the depot of the SFDM company near the oil refinery of Donges, France, May 19, 2016. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

PARIS (Reuters) - At first sight, France looks like it's up to its old tricks.

Angry trade unionists are disrupting public transport, burning tyres and manning picket lines over a government plan to reform labour laws. Yet their ability to shut down swathes of the economy and force ministers to back down is not what it used to be, and reforms are slowly changing the French landscape.