A man holds a placard which reads "Austerity suffocates the people" next to workers during a demonstration against austerity plans which affect salaries and pensions in Paris, April 9, 2015. French unions sought on Thursday to ramp up protests against public spending cuts, calling for work stoppages and marches by public-sector staff that coincided with strikes by air traffic controllers and state radio workers. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier