WALKOUTS and mass demonstrations swept France today as the five main union federations organised over 1,500 strikes hitting most sectors of the economy and over 250 marches.A third of the country’s schools were closed and work stopped at oil refineries and nuclear plants. Transport ground to a halt in many regions, and hundreds of thousands marched against the government despite last-minute police instructions rerouting many of the planned demonstrations.The CGT, CFDT, FO, Unsa and FSU union federations issued a joint statement calling for political change.