Fuel depot and port blockades have caused petrol shortages and panic-buying as unions protest against laws that would make it easier for firms to hire and fire.
Tensions are rising across France with police using water cannons to break up fuel depot blockades.
With protesters outnumbered, union representative Willy Dans [dong] knew resistance was futile but was determined to voice the concerns of workers.
"I'm a father, I have a family. I'm not a troublemaker. I'm an activist. I'm a French citizen who sees that this country is not doing well. I don't want my children to see their social benefits deteriorate from those we have now. So we'll fight until the end, until this law is withdrawn."
The law he's referring to essentially makes it easier for employers to dispense with workers.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
It's one the Government says is crucial to fight rampant unemployment in the country, currently at around ten per cent.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls wouldn't rule out any options in ensuring the country has enough petrol supplies, which have been crippled by the strikes.
"First of all, the blockades must be lifted, at petrol sites, depots, and if necessary ports. 11 depots have already been unblocked, another one this morning and we're doing this because we believe the French need to be able to get their supplies and get around. They can go to work without having to wait hours in front of a service station."
On the frontline of the blockades, effigies of the Prime Minister hang on gates with graffitti messages urging him to resign.
One of the biggest unions in France, CGT, has announced it will extend refinery strikes into the weekend but representative Anthony Le Berre, denies targeting the French people.
"That's not the primary objective. There is a government that wants to pass a law by force, giving an impression that this is no longer a democracy. There are a lot of things that people are getting fed up with. I think this is the last straw. Apologies to the French people, who are hassled, but I would want them to reflect about this. What this is is a big battle."
For motorists it's been a battle as they queue for bowsers.
One quarter of all French petrol stations are closed or running short of fuel.
In northern France, Corrine Besson waited in line twice to fill her tank.
"Well I already got a fill in a nearby town this morning. I waited in line for 40 minutes to fill up twenty litres and now I'm waiting in line again. I think it will take about an hour and I'll probably get about twenty litres again."
All this as France prepares for the Euro Twenty-Sixteen football championships in just two weeks' time.
With unions threatening to extend strikes to power stations and air traffic controllers, the host country could find itself in a state of paralysis.
