Renewed demonstrations: “The anger is great”: protests for higher wages in France

Paris. Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in France on a national day of trade union strikes and protests for higher salaries and an increase in the minimum wage. According to the Interior Ministry, 270,000 people were already out and about in mostly peaceful demonstrations by midday. The first clashes between demonstrators and the police were reported in Lyon and Nantes, and in Paris officers took action against unannounced protest marches.

The union demonstrations are a continuation of the social protests in France that have been going on for weeks and have so far been largely organized by school and student organizations and the yellow vest movement. These mass protests were primarily about better equipment in schools, police violence and the high cost of living. The unions, whose members are now taking to the streets in their traditional red vests, are trying to connect with the protest movement with their classic demand for higher wages.

"Workers are experiencing unprecedented social decline. Fuel, food, rent, gas, electricity... everything is becoming more expensive, only wages and pensions are not increasing," the unions said in a joint statement. They warned the government and employers: "The anger is great. The situation in the country is precarious. The urgent social and ecological problems must be responded to immediately."

The head of the CFDT union, Marylise Léon, called for an increase in the minimum wage by 100 euros net per month in an interview with the broadcaster BFMTV. The general secretary of the CGT union, Sophie Binet, praised the government's announcement that it wanted to further increase the minimum wage beyond the increase that was already due in January 2027. However, an additional increase of 0.5 or 0.6 percent is not enough. "France is the European country where the minimum wage has increased the least in the last ten years. We are now a low-wage country."

The minimum wage per hour in France is currently 12.31 euros gross. In Germany it is currently 13.90 euros and from January it will be 14.60 euros. A person employed at the minimum wage in France earns around 1,867 euros gross for a 35-hour week; in Germany it is around 2,343 euros gross.

In addition to the announcement that it would raise the minimum wage, the centrist government of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has so far accommodated the protesters on the issue of schools. More staff and resources were promised. To reduce fuel prices and provide relief from the high cost of living, the government also recently released ten million barrels of diesel from its reserves. For three months, this should make the liter cheaper at the gas station by 12 to 18 cents.

In contrast to previous social protests in France, the country is hardly in a position to satisfy the demonstrators with generous pledges worth billions due to its weak budget situation. The country's debt rose to a historic high in the second quarter. And five months before the presidential election, the government is currently struggling with an austerity budget - there is hardly any room for additional spending. In the first attempt, the budget proposal even failed in the National Assembly that night.