What is expected for November 5 strikes in France?

France is preparing to come to a standstill on Thursday (November 5) after unions called for a ‘general mobilisation’ of workers across the country.

The call, spearheaded by the CGT, France’s second-largest union, covers both private- and public-sector workers.

Pupils – who have restarted blockades at lycées now schools are back from the Toussaint half-term – and retirees have also been encouraged to join Thursday’s demonstrations and marches. 

This has been extended to the gilets jaunes protesters, with organisers of the Saturday protests calling on people to join Thursday’s marches. 

The latter’s addition to protests brings an element of uncertainty to both expected attendance and overall disruption. 

Unions will be in charge of organising demonstrations and marches along designated routes and have called for entirely peaceful demonstrations, meaning violence and looting is expected to be limited compared to that seen on October 17, the first day of the gilets jaunes renewed weekend ‘Acts’. 

However, many attendees of weekend gilets jaunes protests may be at work and, although private sector employees do not always require a motion to go on strike, may be reluctant to join.

The number of people expected to join marches – and overall disruption across France – cannot be known in advance. 

What disruption is expected? 

Currently, transport services look to be heavily disrupted on Thursday. France’s four major rail unions have called on all workers to strike on the railways.

High-speed services (both InOui and OuiGo) as well as Intercités and regional TER trains are expected to see disruptions, with international TGV routes to Spain, Italy, and Switzerland also potentially impacted.

A timetable for disruptions will be posted no later than Wednesday at 17:00, with anyone travelling on Thursday encouraged to check their journey in advance. 

Elsewhere, local public transport services could see disruption, particularly in Paris, with more information expected closer to Thursday. Passengers are advised to check local operator websites for information on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning before travelling.

Air traffic controllers are covered by public sector strike notices, and have been encouraged to strike by several unions.

Separately to this, airline and airport staff may also walk out.

France’s civil aviation authority, the DGAC, will confirm on Wednesday if airports have been asked to reschedule flights due to expected disruption.

There are no confirmed plans by farmers or logistics operators to take part in Thursday’s action, although groups have previously taken part in demonstrations in recent weeks. 

There is a possibility that roads could be blocked by these groups, either through blockades or go-slow operations (known as escargot operations). 

What else? 

Disruption is also expected in banks and insurance companies, with workers at several high street banks expected to strike, with branches potentially seeing reduced opening hours or closing altogether. Customer helplines may also be impacted.

Calls for doctors and pharmacists to back Thursday’s action have been made, which could see appointments cancelled and / or stores closed, but this has not been widely backed by sector-specific unions.

Public sector hospitals are covered by strike motions, but are not expected to see major disruption. Minimum service rules mean that emergency rooms should not be affected, but some outpatient appointments could be delayed or cancelled.

Disruption to other public services is not yet known, but it is probable that some offices see altered hours on Thursday, particularly for government or local services.

Some private companies could be affected by strikes, but as of Monday morning there have not been any announcement of expected major disruption to shops or other tertiary services. 

However, with unions encouraging people to join marches, some workers could walk out. 

If you are planning to head out on Thursday, check in the morning your travel route and if the shop you want to go to is open.

Teachers at private schools are also set to strike, as are primary school teachers in public institutions. 

Nurseries (maternelles) and primary schools (écoles primaire) are covered by minimum service rules in France. 

This means that if enough teachers are on strike that the school closes (25% of teaching staff), local authorities must still conduct operations to look after pupils during school hours. 

Secondary school (collèges) and lycées (for pupils aged 15 - 17/18) are not covered by these, and schools may close without an alternative if enough teachers go on strike. 

Lycée pupils are expected to also continue their own protests on Thursday at many schools.