French government to meet transportation strikers next week

French government officials will begin talks with labor unions on Tuesday to end the country's longest transport stoppage since the mid-1980s.

Why it matters: It's been 29 days since transportation workers in France started striking in protest of President Macron's proposal to overhaul the pension system.

• Negotiations held before Christmas fell through. In a speech this week, Macron vowed to carry through his reforms, though he hinted that his plan could be further scaled back to appease workers.
• Macron's concessions might not be enough for strikers, whose absence from work is hurting the country's economy. Most of them want the plan scrapped altogether.

Go deeper: French unions launch massive strikes to protest retirement reform