Trade unions in France kicked off a nationwide strike on Tuesday, asking for an increase in salaries as inflation continues to soar.

The strike – which will predominantly affect schools and transportation - is a continuation of the industrial action that has been underway in recent weeks, disrupting the country’s major refineries and impacting petrol stations’ supplies. 

The government forced some workers to return to work at petrol depots to bring an end to the supply issues, and according to government spokesperson Olivier Veran, there may be more requisitions of staff throughout the day, as drivers continue queuing in front of petrol stations.

"There will be as many requisitions as deemed necessary ... Blocking refineries, when we have reached an agreement on wages, this is not a normal situation," Veran commented.

The CGT union has called for ongoing walkouts at TotalEnergies for a fourth week. This is despite the oil firm reaching an agreement for a 7% pay rise and a bonus last week with other unions.

In addition, Eurostar announced it was cancelling a number of services between London and Paris due to the strike.

As tensions mount within the economy, strikes are also taking place in other parts of the country’s energy sector. These include nuclear giant EDF, which will result in delays to maintenance work key to the power supply in Europe. A FNME-CGT union representative said the strikes were impacting work at 10 nuclear power plants in France.

In addition, civil service workers’ unions are also joining Tuesday’s strike action, which may lead to disruptions in schools and other public facilities, Reuters reports.

Thousands filled the streets of Paris on Sunday in protest at skyrocketing prices, and further demonstrations are due to take place all over France throughout the day.