An explosive social autumn. After a day of strike in the public service on September 29, then the mobilization of October 17, marked by damage and looting, and that of this Saturday, October 24, calmer but still followed, to which is added the high school movement, the unions want to further increase the pressure on the government. “The time has come to take a new step in mobilization, the strike must take over” from November 5, launched the general secretary of the CGT Sophie Binet on Wednesday October 21, after a meeting in Matignon. “The mobilization meeting is November 5,” declared CFDT general secretary Marylise Léon.
After a new call for the mobilization of “yellow vests” on Saturday October 31, another day of social protest is already planned for Thursday November 5. It was announced at the beginning of October by an inter-union bringing together the CFDT, the CGT, FO, the Unsa and the FSU, “for wages, public services, employment and industry”. “The anger is immense. The situation in the country is fragile. We must respond without delay to social and environmental emergencies,” write the organizations in a joint press release, calling on “all public and private employees, young people and retirees” to “strike and demonstrate next Thursday, November 5.”
They demand in particular "the immediate opening [...] of negotiations to increase salaries and achieve equal pay for women and men", "the increase in pensions for retirees", "the increase in the value of the index point for civil servants", "the increase in the minimum wage and all social assistance", "the increase in the means of our public services" or even "fiscal justice measures to tax assets, inheritances and dividends". For the Insoumis presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, “what is hanging over our heads now” from the executive is “the general strike”, from November 5, he estimated on Saturday October 24 during the Parisian demonstration. Transport, education, health… Le Figaro takes stock of the sectors mobilized on November 5.
Education
In education, several unions have already 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 “massive 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)”. The first union of school teachers, the FSU-SNUipp also joined the call for strike and demonstration, believing that “November 5 must be the opportunity to amplify (the) mobilization”. 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.
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 “tried to negotiate minimum wages at the level of inflation as part of the annual negotiations on wages and working conditions, without success”.
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 “to go on strike and participate in demonstrations for (their) social, living and working conditions”. “Like many employees in the country, railway workers are subject to budgetary austerity. It results in social downgrading and stagnant wages,” they denounce.
Like school teachers, railway workers must declare their intention to strike at least 48 hours in advance. It will therefore only be two days before the mobilization day of November 5 that we will know more about the planned traffic disruptions.
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 “in line with needs”. The CFTC Santé Social Federation also calls on hospitals, health, social and medico-social establishments, public and private, to join the call for inter-union mobilization, demanding “dignified salaries, better working conditions and resources commensurate with their missions”.
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 “general measures on salaries”, “measures to upgrade careers” or even “an increase in the resources of public services”. The UFSE-CGT also calls on public officials to “register massively in this day of mobilization”.
