By Brian Love and Gerard Bon PARIS, April 9 (Reuters) - Thousands took to the streets across France on Thursday in union-led protests against public spending cuts that came on top of strikes by air traffic controllers and state radio workers. The marches nationwide with a main rally in Paris are a test of how much support unions can muster over spending curbs they say undermine public service and purchasing power generally to the detriment of the euro zone's second-largest economy. However, one of France's largest unions, the pro-reform CFDT, declined to join the movement, arguing that savings being made in France were not on the same scale as the austerity undergone in other euro zone countries such as Spain, Ireland or Greece. The protests come a day after President Francois Hollande's government said it still expected economic growth of just 1 percent this year, underlining the fragility of the recovery. It also trimmed its forecast for 2016 and 2017 to 1.5 percent growth each year, from 1.7 percent in 2016 and 1.9 percent in 2017, although it hopes a weak euro, lower oil prices and low interest rates will help it do better. In an encouraging sign, the Bank of France raised its estimate for first-quarter growth to 0.4 percent from an earlier 0.3 percent quarter-on-quarter, citing stronger foreign demand. Turnout across the country was mixed. In the eastern city of Strasbourg, only around 1,000 took to the streets, while demonstrators in the southwest city of Toulouse said their march numbered 8,000. "We are here ... to get a change of direction from this government which claims it is left-wing," said CGT official Pierre Tommasi of a march which included hospital, research and transport sector staff. Local media said staff who man Paris's Eiffel Tower would keep it shut it until 6.00 pm (1600 GMT) as part of the strike. Unions said they expected tens of thousands of marchers to join the main rally in Paris by the end of the day. CANCELED FLIGHTS The call for stoppages across the public sector, including by state-employed teachers, coincided with the second day of an air traffic control strike and another day in the longest-ever protest over a shakeup at France's public radio network. Airlines such as Air France, easyJet and Ryanair said they had to scrap hundreds of flights in and out of France, and to some destinations elsewhere in Europe because controllers have struck over plans to change work conditions and raise their retirement age to 59 from 57. At Radio France, a public-service entity that includes two orchestras as well as a national and local radio network, programming was scaled back as the organization's industrial dispute entered a fourth week. Staff are at loggerheads with Radio France boss Matthieu Gallet, who is under government pressure to pursue money-saving measures without prolonging the conflict. Some teachers in France's public school network stayed out, but many schools keep their doors open during stoppages by providing activities in place of teaching for pupils. Hollande's government has vowed to cut its deficit to EU-agreed levels by the end of his tenure in 2017. But it insists it is sparing the French people the drastic austerity of Greece, Spain or Ireland. The government has said it will shave a total 50 billion euros ($53.8 billion) off its initial spending projections by 2017, but total state spending will still rise slightly. ($1 = 0.9296 euros) (Editing by Mark John and Larry King) -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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