French Minister Pelted with Eggs amid Nationwide Labor Strike

France's economy minister was pelted with eggs on Monday during a strike in Paris against planned labor reforms that have disrupted rail service across the country for almost a week.  

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Protester threw eggs at the minister and told him to “get lost.” Emmanuel Macron told reporters, while he still had yolk in his hair, that this was the work of professional agitators. "They don't listen, they insult."

The French government is seeking to reform the economy by loosening protections for workers that it claims hinder economic progress. The government says the reform will lower the country’s 10 percent unemployment rate, but opposition groups say it will only make it easier for companies to lay off workers.

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Militants of the leftist CGT trade union cornered Macron in the Paris suburb of Montreuil, where he was attending a ceremony to launch a stamp to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Popular Front Government that gave workers new rights.

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Only 8.5 percent of rail workers are still on strike over the reform, the state railway said before crucial negotiations with unions over a reorganization of working time, and before the Euro 2016 soccer tournament begins in France on Friday.

​About 60 percent of high-speed and regional trains, and just one-third of slower inter-city services, are currently running in France.

Hollande said on Sunday it would be incomprehensible if rail and airline strikes prevented fans from traveling to matches during the soccer championship.

"We're not stupid. Nobody's saying 'we're going to block the Euros' (...) but when your back is against the wall, there's little alternative but to continue," union leader Jean-Claude Mailly.

The country is also expecting a strike by air traffic controllers. Air France pilots announced a strike on June 11, over management plans to curb their salaries.