PARIS, Nov 20: French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for an end to a week-long transport strike on Tuesday as teachers, postal workers and other civil servants joined rail workers in protests challenging his economic reform plans.

“Everyone should understand that for me, in such a conflict, there will be neither winners nor losers,” Sarkozy said in a speech to French mayors that broke an unusually long public silence from the normally hyperactive president.

“But I also say that one should know how to end a strike when the time for negotiations starts,” he said.

France’s rail system has been crippled for a week by a strike over pensions, but the wave of protests has widened with a separate strike by civil servants over job reductions and the cost of living and student protests over university reforms.

The protests, which disrupted schools, trains, postal services and airports on Tuesday, are the biggest threat to Sarkozy’s planned reforms since he was elected president in May, and hundreds of thousands joined demonstrations across France.

The head of the powerful CGT union, Bernard Thibault, said 700,000 people had marched. Police said 375,000 had taken part.

Public Accounts Minister Eric Woerth said strikes were costing France between 300 million euros ($439 million) and 400 million euros a day, and the week-old transport strike could hurt the economy if it dragged on.

“Not over several days. But if it lasted longer, it could obviously have consequences,” he told France Inter radio.

The rail workers oppose Sarkozy’s plan to scrap some public sector pension rights. They voted to continue the strike so that it overlapped with Tuesday’s one-day walkout by civil servants.

Public sector workers object to Sarkozy’s plan not to replace some retiring civil servants, a move he hopes will cut costs, and say their purchasing power is being eroded.

Opinion polls show the rail strike is unpopular with most French voters. But the government is also under pressure to show it is working for a breakthrough.

“A small group of people are holding the country hostage.

It’s lamentable,” said 56-year-old commuter Guy Cousserant.—Reuters