Three weeks into a refinery strike that has caused fuel shortages across the country, thousands of protesters are set to march in Paris on Sunday, adding to a growing picture of defiance and anger after inflation.

Iran PressEurope: The demonstration on Sunday has been called by left-wing political parties, backed by hundreds of associations, which are seeking to build on the momentum created by the refinery standoff.

"You can see that this movement is starting to spread," the parliamentary head of the left-wing France Unbowed party, Mathilde Panot, told franceinfo radio.

"You can see it in the nuclear sector. Truck drivers have announced a stoppage on Tuesday, and lots of other sectors are starting to join them," she added.

Several French unions, but not all, have announced a national day of strikes on Tuesday that is expected to affect road transport, trains, and the public sector.  

French energy giant TotalEnergies said last Friday that it had reached a pay deal with the two largest unions representing staff at its four refineries, raising hopes of an end to the standoff. 

But the famously militant CGT union has refused to accept it, with its members continuing to maintain picket lines.

Staff at two other refineries owned by the US group Esso-ExxonMobil returned to work at the end of last week, but the company said operations there will need two to three weeks to return to normal.

Around a third of petrol stations around the country have supply problems, particularly those around Paris and in the north, meaning drivers often wait hours to refuel.

Many companies have cut back on travel and deliveries, while emergency service vehicles face supply problems.

Police expect around 30,000 people to attend, with one source saying they feared problems from anarchist groups that regularly clash with security forces on the sidelines of French protests.

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