Nationwide strike disrupts France's energy sector as social tensions grow

FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron speaks after visiting the Eric Tabarly high school in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France September 13, 2022. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) -A nationwide strike on Thursday disrupted the French energy sector, taking a large chunk of the nuclear production offline, as workers push for a pay hike amid rising tensions between unions and the government over a planned pensions reform.

"Thousands of workers are on strike today," said Philippe Martinez, chief of the hard-left CGT union as he attended a protest march in Paris along with several thousand people, many of them waving red labour union flags.