Paris (AFP) - Trade unions have called for a large-scale strike on Thursday that could paralyze Paris' public transport sector , in the latest move to demand that the French government ease the burden of soaring fares.

RATB, the company operating the transport sector in the French capital, warned of major disruptions to metro and subway services, as well as bus and tramway services, as a result of the demonstration that will be organized to demand higher wages.

The operating company indicated that seven of the metro lines will be completely closed, while work on the remaining seven lines will be limited to peak hours.

It said that Lines 1 and 14, which operate automatically without drivers, will operate as usual, but warned that they may witness overcrowding beyond their capacity.

In recent weeks, unions have carried out strikes in several sectors to demand higher wages or more employment, after rising energy prices led to widespread inflation.

Union leaders hope to increase pressure on French President Emmanuel Macron, who is preparing to revive his plan to amend the pension system, according to which the retirement age will be raised from the current 62 to 64 or 65 years.

The plan sparked protests two years ago, until the government abandoned it during the COVID-19 outbreak.

But the call to strike in the Parisian transport sector did not extend to other sectors, as only the General Confederation of Labor called for a general strike.

Celine Versiletti, an official in this union, expected that between 150 and 200 demonstrations would be organized, in a repeat of what happened on October 18.

The announcement of the strike comes at a time when transportation users in the French capital are mounting discontent with the public transport sector, as services are still reduced since the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the return of traffic to the level it was before the pandemic.