🔥France Strikes Back! 💥 Union Uprising!

World News

Three French unions – CGT, Solidaires, and the FSU – have announced a national, cross-sector strike for Tuesday, December 2nd, in opposition to the draft 2026 Budget currently under debate in parliament. CGT union leader Sophie Binet described the budget as a “horror show,” and in a recent press release, the three unions criticized its lack of fiscal justice, citing resistance from the right and far right who are “protecting large fortunes.” The unions are urging “all young people, workers, retirees, and unemployed people to mobilize through strikes and demonstrations.” Currently, only the CGT, Solidaires, and FSU are participating in the call to action; France’s largest union, the CFDT, has not yet indicated any plans to join. Following previous mobilizations in September, which initially disrupted operations and drew large crowds, the protests lessened. On September 18th, the first union-led day of action saw between 500,000 and 1 million people participate in strikes and marches across France, bringing public transport in Paris to a halt. The extent of the disruption—particularly regarding potential widespread disruption to rail travel—remains uncertain, pending decisions by other unions representing transport sectors to join the strike.

(Train drivers) with SNCF have called for industrial action. While the CGT union represents a little over a third of train drivers, other significant unions representing train drivers, such as UNSA and Sud Rail, have not yet announced strike action. SNCF has not yet released any traffic forecasts; however, forecasts are expected to be available by 5pm the day before the strike – Monday, December 1st. The CGT RATP, representing approximately a third of public transport workers in Paris, has called for walkouts on December 2nd, and it remains to be seen if other public transport unions, and those in other cities, will follow suit. In addition, both CGT and Solidaires have called on public servants to walk out on December 2nd, potentially leading to the closure of some public buildings, including préfectures, mairies, or tax offices, depending on local participation. The FSU union, representing over 80 percent of French teachers, has called for walkouts on December 2nd, which may result in class cancellations. Crucially, primary school teachers in France must provide 48 hours’ notice before engaging in strike action, so families of affected pupils should have already been notified. Regarding air travel, France’s civil aviation authority (the DGAC) has not issued any calls for flight cancellations, and at the time of writing, the SNCTA, the largest air traffic controller union, has not announced any strike action. Finally, the CGT Santé union has also participated in the industrial action.

Union action has prompted calls for strike action, and consequently, some doctors’ offices may be closed. Given that doctors working in French hospitals are prohibited from engaging in traditional walkouts, any demonstrations typically take the form of symbolic actions, such as wearing badges indicating strike participation while staging protests outside the hospitals. Protests are anticipated in major French cities including Paris, Lyon, and Marseille, and are also likely to occur in smaller cities. For instance, a protest will take place at 5:30 pm in Caen, in the Calvados region of Normandy, in front of the préfecture, and another will begin at 10:30 am in Lisieux, commencing at the Place François-Mitterand. The CGT union generally publishes an interactive protest map in the days leading up to the events.