An explosive social autumn. After a day of strike in the civil service on September 29, then the mobilization of October 17, marked by damage and looting, and those of October 24 and 31, calmer but still followed, to which is added the high school movement, the unions want to further increase the pressure on the government. âThe time has come to take a new step in mobilization, the strike must take overâ from November 5, launched the general secretary of the CGT Sophie Binet on Wednesday October 21, after a meeting in Matignon. âThe mobilization meeting is November 5,â declared CFDT general secretary Marylise LĂ©on.
This new day of social protest was announced at the beginning of October by an inter-union union bringing together the CFDT, the CGT, FO, the Unsa and the FSU, âfor wages, public services, employment and industryâ. âThe anger is immense. The situation in the country is fragile. We must respond without delay to social and environmental emergencies,â the organizations wrote in a joint press release, calling on âall public and private employees, young people and retireesâ to âstrike and demonstrate next Thursday, November 5.â All the unions then joined this call for mobilization.
âIt will be a great day of convergence with private sector employees who will be present, civil servants, retirees, young people,â Sophie Binet anticipated on Monday on France 2. âWe want two things: salary increases everywhere (...) and a revision of the governmentâs draft budget which, as it stands, is catastrophic for the country,â she added. The coordination of the âyellow vestsâ also calls for a âNovember 5 of the peopleâ. For the Insoumis presidential candidate Jean-Luc MĂ©lenchon, âwhat is hanging over our heads nowâ from the executive is âthe general strikeâ, from November 5, he estimated on October 24 during the Parisian demonstration. Transport, education, health⊠Le Figaro takes stock of the sectors mobilized this Thursday, November 5 and the disruptions to be expected.
Transportation
At SNCF, the four main unions of the railway company (CGT-Cheminots, Unsa-Ferroviaire, Sud-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots) have, in a joint press release, called on agents âto go on strike and participate in demonstrations for (their) social, living and working conditionsâ. âLike many employees in the country, railway workers are subject to budgetary austerity. It results in social downgrading and stagnant wages,â they denounce.
Railway workers must declare their intention to strike at least 48 hours in advance. The SNCF should therefore communicate this Tuesday late afternoon on the traffic disruptions planned for Thursday. âThe inter-professional strike risks having very strong repercussions on public transport in Ăle-de-France, at the RATP and at the SNCF. Several line managements have already warned us that we should expect significant reductions in supply,â the Plus de trains user association has already alerted.
Education
In education, several unions joined the call for mobilization on November 5. This is the case, for example, of Snes-FSU, the leading union of general and technological middle and high schools, which is calling for a âmassive and widespread strike on November 5 for resources for National Education (recruitment, salaries, resources, school buildings) and the debunking of high schools (high school, baccalaureate and Parcoursup reforms)â. The first union of school teachers, the FSU-SNUipp also joined the call for strike and demonstration, believing that âNovember 5 must be the opportunity to amplify (the) mobilizationâ. But it is impossible at the moment to know its extent: in primary education, teachers must declare themselves on strike 48 hours before the start of the mobilization. However, no such obligation exists in the second degree.
On the student side, the High School Union (USL) and the Student Union are calling for a blockade of high schools and universities on Tuesday, November 3 and Thursday, November 5. Higher education will also be mobilized this November 5, the SNESUP-FSU union having called to join the movement, in order to âsupport student demands and for salaries, public services and the defense of public higher education and researchâ, it states in its strike notice. Furthermore, all the unions in private contract education - which educates some 17% of French students (more than two million students) - are also calling for a strike on November 5, which constitutes a "first" in the history of the private sector, according to them. These organizations (Fep-CFDT, SNEPL-CFTC, SNPEFP-CGT, SYNEP CFE-CGC) denounce the level of their remuneration, while they say they have âattempted to negotiate minimum wages at the level of inflation as part of the annual negotiations on wages and working conditions, without successâ.
Health
Health establishments could also be disrupted on November 5 - they are however required to organize a minimum service to ensure continuity of care. The CGT Federation of Health and Social Action is in fact calling for a strike, demanding an increase in the index point for civil servants and the State budgets (PLF) and Social Security (PLFSS) for 2027 âin line with needsâ. The CFTC SantĂ© Social Federation also calls on hospitals, health, social and medico-social establishments, public and private, to join the call for inter-union mobilization, demanding âdignified salaries, better working conditions and resources commensurate with their missionsâ.
Civil service
More broadly, several public service unions are calling on all employees to strike. The CFDT Civil Services has thus filed a strike notice, which covers agents from three sides: state civil service, territorial civil service and hospital civil service. She calls for âgeneral measures on salariesâ, âmeasures to upgrade careersâ or even âan increase in the resources of public servicesâ. The UFSE-CGT also calls on public officials to âregister massively in this day of mobilizationâ.
Social security
Social Security is also on strike. The unions of social organizations (FEC FO, CFDT PSTE, CFE-CGC, CFTC PSE, CGT Federation of Social Organizations and UNSA) are calling on their staff to strike and demonstrate on November 5, âfor an immediate increase in the value of the index pointâ.
Postal and telecommunications activities
The FAPT-CGT, which represents employees of postal and telecommunications activities, including those of La Poste, Orange, SFR and Chronopost, also joined the call for mobilization, denouncing âinsufficient salaries, jobs eliminated, intensification of work, deterioration of working conditions and calling into question public service missionsâ.
Culture
A cultural inter-union, bringing together SUD Culture Solidaires, the CGT Spectacle and the CGT Culture, is calling on workers in the sector to mobilize from November 5, with the aim of building a âlong-termâ general strike. Beyond their support for the high school movement, the unions intend to denounce the ânew unacceptable budget cuts which are looming for the year 2027â in the cultural sector, as well as the ârepeated threats from Medef and employersâ against the specific unemployment insurance scheme for intermittent workers in the entertainment industry. This mobilization concerns agents of the Ministry of Culture and local authorities, permanent and intermittent entertainment employees, as well as artists and authors.
Bank
The union organizations of the banking sector (FEC FO Section Banques, CFDT Banques et Assurances, CGT Banques et Assurances, CFTC Banques, SNB/CFE-CGC) call on âbank employees to mobilize to defend their salaries, their jobs and their working conditionsâ this November 5.
Mutual
