A transport strike that has crippled France for nine days in open defiance of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s reform agenda was in its last gasp Thursday as rail workers around the country voted “yes” to return to the job.

The collapse of the strikes a day after the start of negotiations suggested defeat for labor unions – and could clear the way for the president’s ambitious program to retool France.

In 42 of 45 morning meetings, rail workers voted to return to work today, a tendency that continued in the afternoon, union officials said.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon called on rail workers to restart traffic “completely and without delay.” But it can take days to return the vast rail system to full speed. Both the SNCF train authority and the RATP which runs Paris public transport indicated there would be clear improvements Friday but nothing close to full service. Pockets of resistance remained in southern France where strikers held out.