Anger over planned changes to the country's retirement pension system sparked massive protests that brought transport to a standstill.
The strikers want to preserve an archaic patchwork of 42 "special regimes" - going back to Louis XIV - that guarantee some workers cosseted retirement as early as the age of 55.On average, French workers retire at 62 with a publicly-funded pension equal to 74 per cent of their final salary, compared with 29 per cent in Britain.
"In France, we have the best pension system in the world," said CGT leader Philippe Martinez, whose union is the most powerful among rail workers.
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