Sophie Binet calls for a major strike in the civil service on September 29

The general secretary of the CGT, Sophie Binet, called on Tuesday for “a major strike” during the social mobilization planned for September 29 in the public service, in particular to oppose the “regressive” budget that the union expects. “I call on all public officials who listen to us to go on strike so that all those who spend their time stigmatizing civil servants, saying that civil servants are expensive, see what a black day without public services is,” insisted Sophie Binet on France 2.

At the beginning of July, Bercy had ruled out any general increase in salaries in the public service in 2026 for cost reasons, putting forward some targeted proposals on remuneration and careers during a meeting with the unions. The eight representative trade union organizations in the public service (CGT, CFDT, UNSA, FSU, Solidaires, CFE-CGC, FO and FA-FP) left the meeting after two hours, calling for mobilization on September 29.

“Regressive budget”

Tuesday, Sophie Binet went up a notch, calling for “a major strike for (the) salaries and (the) public services”, at a time when the government is preparing the 2027 budget, in a context of economic difficulty. “We think that everything must be done to prevent a regressive budget,” insisted the general secretary of the CGT.