But coming in the middle of a Europe-wide energy crisis, the strikes have become the president's stiffest challenge since his re-election in May.
As industrial action at oil major TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA) keeps weighing on petrol supplies for a fourth week with no clear end in sight, the government faces the risk wider walkouts could take down other parts of the infrastructure.
France's national grid operator RTE warned on Tuesday that prolonged strikes delaying the restart of some reactors at nuclear power group EDF (EDF.PA) could have "heavy consequences" for the country's electricity supplies over the coming winter.
Trade union leaders were hoping workers would be energised by the government's decision to force some of them to go back to work at petrol depots to try and get fuel flowing again, a decision some say put in jeopardy the right to strike.
But a survey by Elabe pollsters for BFM TV showed only 39% of the public backed Tuesday's call for a nationwide strike, while 49% opposed it, and growing numbers opposed the strike by oil refinery workers.
On the transport front, Eurostar said it was cancelling some trains between London and Paris due to the strike. French public railway operator SNCF said that traffic on regional connections was down 50% but national lines had no disruptions.
As tensions rise in the euro zone's second-biggest economy, strikes have spilled over into other parts of the energy sector, including nuclear giant EDF (EDF.PA), where maintenance work crucial for Europe's power supply will be delayed.
The strikes are happening as the government is set to pass the 2023 budget using special constitutional powers that would allow it to bypass a vote in parliament, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Sunday.