France braces for massive nationwide strike as workers across sectors join protests
Hundreds of thousands are set to march while hospital staff, rail workers, teachers and others prepare for a coordinated strike on Thursday.
Nationwide protests loom as multiple sectors join France’s strike wave
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators are expected to take to the streets across France on Thursday, after trade unions called for a nationwide strike that will involve hospital workers, air‑traffic controllers, postal staff, teachers and rail employees.
President Emmanuel Macron’s final months in office are being challenged by a wave of unrest that began with high‑school students protesting poor teaching conditions and has expanded to weekly rallies over the cost of living.
Four main rail unions warned that the government’s proposed budget cuts would “worsen poverty, slash social security, freeze state workers’ salaries and dry up investment needed for environmental measures”.
Students continue to blockade schools, citing overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated buildings, while university faculties have also been shut down. Teachers from both state and private schools have pledged to strike, with the education ministry estimating that almost 18 % of nursery and primary teachers will walk out, and secondary teachers are also expected to join.
Rights organisations have protested what they describe as heavy policing and an “authoritarian” effort by Macron’s executive to curb the right to demonstrate. The French Human Rights League called the measures an “authoritarian shift” aimed at silencing dissent, noting restrictions on city‑centre protests and curfews in certain districts.
Sophie Binet, head of the left‑wing CGT union, said: We’re living at a very serious time with a very dangerous authoritarian drift from the national government. She criticised decisions in cities such as Rennes, Toulouse and Lyon to move demonstrations out of central areas.
Marylise Léon, leader of the moderate CFDT union, added: “The principle of a demonstration is its visibility.”
The national rail operator SNCF warned of “disturbances” on regional lines and in parts of the greater Paris area. Dock workers also said port operations could be disrupted.
Amid the protests, far‑right, anti‑immigration candidate Marine Le Pen is polling strongly for the 2027 presidential election, positioning herself as a potential successor to Macron.
With public debt nearing 120 % of GDP and a divided parliament struggling to pass a belt‑tightening budget, the coming strike underscores the mounting pressures on France’s political and economic landscape.
