French unions have been mounting nationwide protests against planned budget cuts, halting transport and blocking streets. Protesters disrupted transport networks and staged blockades across France on Thursday in a show of strength against President Emmanuel Macron's plan to slash public spending. France sees nationwide strikes against austerity plans To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoWhy are there strikes in France? Unions argue the austerity plan will deepen economic pain that has already toppled previous governments attempting similar reforms. Unions also continue to denounce Macron's unpopular 2023 pension reform, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.