Workers represented by multiple French unions, including those at the Eiffel Tower, returned to work following a day of strikes Thursday.

The strikes were launched to protest cuts to social spending and to call for higher taxes on the wealthy, according to The Associated Press.

The General Confederation of Labor’s Eiffel Tower branch told French wire agency Agence France-Presse that following the national calls for strikes, the employees staffing the tower voted to join in, closing the Parisian tourist attraction Thursday. The tower was also closed due to strikes on Sept. 18.

The General Confederation of Labor said in a release Friday that nearly 600,000 people protested at 250 demonstrations across the country. France’s Interior Ministry said around 195,000 people protested, according to French state-owned TV network France 24.

The union also reiterated calls for the French government to abandon planned budget measures including increased medical deductibles, the axing of 3,000 civil service jobs and reforms to unemployment insurance.

“The CGT is determined to maintain and expand the mobilization, in the face of a weakened government that has decided to continue listening to the financial markets and remaining deaf to the expectations of the country’s workers,” the union said, as translated from French.

Next Thursday, the union has planned a “day of action on health and social protection” including workers in the pharmaceutical and social security industries.

The General Confederation of Labor said that it and allied unions will meet following Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s general policy speech, scheduled for Tuesday, according to public broadcaster France Info, to “make the necessary decisions for the future.”

The speech is traditionally given by new French prime ministers to lay out their plans while in office; Mr. Lecornu took office on Sept. 9.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.