Nicolas Sarkozy remained defiant over his plan to raise France’s retirement age to 62 and his government vowed to defeat efforts to block fuel after strikes sparked fears of a shortage.

A strike caused disruptions to French rail traffic for a second day today, although the protest appeared to be winding down as unions said they were satisfied with concessions from the national rail operator.

French union leaders said they were satisfied with concessions offered by the national rail operator SNCF, raising hopes for an end to a strike that disrupted train services today.