Macron heads for autumn showdown with unions in push to transform labour laws

With threats of strikes and street protests the stakes could hardly be higher for a president under pressureThe unions are threatening national strikes and blockades. A growing number of critics are warning that France is a “powder keg” waiting to blow. After an unconvincing summer, in which his popularity has plummeted, crunch time for Emmanuel Macron has arrived. The new French president is facing the prospect of a September standoff in the streets over his controversial plans to r