France is preparing for a nationwide day of strike action on Thursday as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators are expected to march, with hospital staff, rail workers, air traffic controllers, postal employees and teachers all poised to walk out. The national rail operator SNCF said services on regional lines and parts of the greater Paris area would face “disturbances”, while dockers warned of disruption at French ports. The action follows renewed demonstrations over education, public spending cuts and the rising cost of living.
Strike Action Looms as France Braces for Disruption
Ahead of Thursday’s stoppages, France’s four main rail unions said the government’s proposed budget cuts would “worsen poverty, slash social security, freeze state workers’ salaries and dry up investment needed for environmental measures”. The warning came against a backdrop of a divided parliament and a budget that ministers have struggled to pass. Public debt is approaching 120% of economic output, a figure that critics say justifies social spending. For unions, the dispute is inseparable from the government’s austerity programme.
The national rail operator said there would be “disturbances” to train services on regional lines and some parts of the greater Paris area. Dockers said disruption was expected in French ports. The education ministry said it expected almost 18% of nursery and primary school teachers to strike, and trade unions said secondary teachers were also expected to join Thursday’s action.
Schools and Universities in Crisis as Protests Spread
High school students continued to blockade schools over overcrowded classes and dilapidated buildings, saying the government’s proposed measures on capping some class sizes and loaning funds to regional authorities to fix schools were not enough. University students joined in blockading some faculties.
Trade unions from across the political landscape joined a call for strikes over the rising cost of living, with private schools’ teachers unions also joining strikes alongside state school teachers.
Rights Groups Decry ‘Authoritarian’ Police Response
Rights groups protested over what they said was heavy policing and an “authoritarian” attempt by Macron’s executive to clamp down on the right to demonstrate. The French Human Rights League said there was an “authoritarian shift” to stifle “any dissenting voice” as the government put in place heavy policing and authorities issued restrictions on demonstrating in city centres, as well as curfews in certain areas.
Sophie Binet, the head of the leftwing CGT union, said: “We’re living at a very serious time with a very dangerous authoritarian drift from the government”, criticising decisions by authorities in cities such as Rennes, Toulouse and Lyon to push demonstrations out of city centres.
Marylise Léon, the head of the moderate CFDT trade union, said: “The principle of a demonstration is its visibility.”
Visibility, she said, is the point.
Why it Matters
The threatened strike will test France’s public services, its fragile budget politics and President Emmanuel Macron’s final months in office. With high school students protesting poor teaching conditions and workers taking weekly action over the cost of living, the unrest is unlikely to fade. The government is already struggling to pass a belt-tightening budget in a divided parliament, while public debt approaches 120% of economic output. Against that backdrop, the SNCF’s warnings and the education ministry’s staffing estimates point to a country bracing for serious disruption. For unions, the fight is about more than trains or teachers; it is about the social contract, austerity and whether Macron can manage a final period in power without triggering a broader crisis.
