Striking workers blocked freight and passenger ships at Marseille today in industrial action trade unions said had paralysed the key French Mediterranean port.
Workers are protesting over a plan to revamp the southern port, which they say port bosses had kept under wraps. The plan was due to be discussed at a management meeting today.
The sudden strike at the independently run port, a petrochemicals hub and the springboard for passenger trips to Corsica and north Africa, followed two days of intermittent services due to industrial action.
"Every single point of access [in the area of Marseille] . . . is blocked," said Patrick Oheix of the CGT trade union. He declined to say how long the strike would last.
