Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris organising committee, he said he hoped for an end to social unrest during the Paris Games, which begin on 26 July.  The main organiser of the Paris Olympics said he hoped unions would not "spoil the party" by calling strikes during the Games amid continuing threats of industrial action. 

"I hope we can welcome everyone in the best possible conditions and not spoil the party. I hope we can find solutions for the people who will be working at the Games. We are aware that there are limits," said the three-time Olympic medallist in charge of organising the Games.

"We cannot welcome the world with such ambition without experiencing inconveniences," admitted one of the most successful French athletes in history.

Unions representing public sector workers across France have been pressing for bonuses and extra resources for their members who will have to work during the summer holidays for the Games. 

Police officers and air traffic controllers have already agreed to special deals, but Paris metro workers, health workers, railway workers and street cleaners are among those making demands. 

At the end of January, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced a bonus of up to 1,900 euros for police officers and gendarmes working in the Île-de-France region, where Paris is located.

Left-wing Mathilde Panot has encouraged the unions to use the Games as a method to push for wage improvements: "I think they have leverage, and since the government only understands leverage, you have to use it."

In the transport sector, the main unions at the national railway company (SNCF) and the Paris public transport company (RATP) have already threatened to strike until the end of the Paralympics, which end on 8 September. 

Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete told public broadcaster France Inter that he was "not worried" at all' because "there will be no strikes. I don't think for a moment that the workers, the employees or the trade unions will jeopardise the image of France or their company in front of the whole world," he predicted. 

In his view, such an approach "is not at all part of the culture of the working class, which is attached to the image of the company and the country if you are a worker or a trade unionist".

The example of France is what happened during the 1998 World Cup, when the pilots of the national airline, Air France, went on strike on the eve of the event, along with taxi drivers.