General Strike in France to Halt All Transport

London -- France's freight transport system faces paralysis on March 19 as longshoremen, railroad workers, truckers and air cargo handlers join a 24-hour general strike to protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's economic policies.

The nationwide stoppage, due to start at 8 p.m. local time on March 18, is expected to halt most rail freight shipments on state-owned SNCF and private companies, including maritime container traffic and international services.

Operations at state-owned logistics companies, such as Geodis, an SNCF subsidiary, also face disruption.

Dockers are due to walk off the job at most ports, including top box hubs Le Havre and Marseilles, at 6 a.m. on March 19.

Some ports, including Marseilles and Nantes-St. Nazaire, have faced strike action in recent days in a separate dispute over Sarkozy's plans to privatize container terminals.

The strike also is expected to hit cargo handling and flights at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, Europe's second largest freight hub. Short haul European flights face disruption but Air France-KLM expects international flights to operate as normal.

The strike, called by France's main trade unions, follows a 24-hour stoppage on January 29 which also severely disrupted cargo transport and brought an estimated 2.5 million protestors onto the streets.

The CGT union, which represents most port workers, has warned of further strikes if the government does not respond to its demands for tougher measures to combat rising unemployment and protect living standards.