Strikes in European countries continue as protesters ask for better pay and working conditions due to high energy prices and mounting costs of living.

Here are details of some recent and current industrial actions and demonstrations.

France

Labor unions from France have called for a second nationwide strike on Tuesday, in a backlash against the government's plans to make people work longer before retirement and hoping to repeat the large turnout seen on the first major protest on January 19, when more than a million people marched against the reform. 

Only about one in three high-speed TGV trains will run on Tuesday and even fewer local and regional trains, while the Paris metro will also be seriously disrupted. 

Half of primary school teachers will walk off the job, their union said, while oil refinery staff and workers across all sectors were also set to go on strike.

United Kingdom

In the UK, up to half a million workers across the country will protest against the government's proposed anti-strike legislation and its refusal to fund public sector pay rises on Wednesday, one of the biggest ever days of coordinated industrial action.

The iNews website said that Wednesday's action would be the closest thing to a general strike the UK hasn't seen since the 1970s, and noted that more industrial action by health, teaching, rail, and other unions is planned in the weeks ahead.

Spain

Around 160 air traffic controllers in Spain have started a strike on Monday, the first in a series of five strikes taking place every Monday between January 30 and February 27, in an attempt to demand the government to increase consumer price index and remove a 12-15 percent cut in salaries.

The weekly strike is expected to affect 28 percent of all Spanish air traffic.

Netherlands

Netherlands public transportation workers will go on a five-day strike across the country starting next Monday, protesting against a breakdown in negotiations with the government over a new collective bargaining agreement that involves 13,000 employees. 

An earlier strike caused about 40 percent of Netherlands' public transportation to be canceled in various regions.

Greece

Workers in the municipal construction services throughout Greece have planned a one-day national work stoppage on February 2, striving for demands from the government including higher staffing levels, pay increases, and an end to privatization and outsourcing. 

Suffering from high energy prices and a wider rise in living costs, many European countries have seen a surging wave of strikes and protests since 2022.

Other European countries, including Germany, Italy, Hungary and Portugal, also launched strikes in the beginning of 2023. 

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: Teachers hold signs during a strike in Lisbon, Portugal, January 28, 2023. /CFP)