A national protest movement organised for September 10 is set to coincide with several strikes, potentially causing widespread disruption across many sectors.
The citizens protest movement Bloquons tous has called for nationwide protests on Wednesday, primarily over the 2026 budget plans of current Prime Minister François Bayrou and in particular his suggestion of ending two bank holidays.
The grassroots movement is reminiscent of the gilets jaunes but with some key differences such as choosing a weekday for action as opposed to the Saturday action of the group.Several unions, including the CGT and Solidaires, confirmed they would support Wednesday's action by acting as a vessel for strike motions for those wishing to walk out of their jobs on Wednesday.
Other union groups, specifically in the transport sector, have also called for walk-outs.
Major protests are planned in cities and towns across France, many organised through social media, with others being backed by unions.
However, the relative secrecy of the call for action means the exact level of disruption will be unknown until Wednesday.
Whereas the disruption from strikes will be made clear on Tuesday evening at the latest, the number of people planning to engage in civil protests are unknown.
Polls suggest just under half of French people support the movement, with another quarter indifferent*.
Several companies are recommending that employees work from home (télétravail) for the day to minimise travel delays.
Overall, it is pointing towards a day of significant disruption – at a time where France will potentially be without a government – and only eight days before a major strike day on September 18 backed by France’s eight major unions.
Below, we look at some of the expected disruption.
Railway network, public transport, airports
The transportation sector is a key target for protestors and unions alike.
Several rail unions including SUD-Rail and the CGT-Cheminots have backed walkouts on September 10, covering the French national rail network.
The disruption may affect international routes, but it must be noted that the Eurostar and non-TGV international lines usually only see minimal impact from such strikes.
In Paris La Base, a major union supporting workers of the city’s RATP (public transport network) is also calling for workers to walk out.
Major disruption to the RER D and the ‘Ligne R’ to the Parisian suburbs has been announced, but the disruption is expected to hit across the network including on metro lines and buses.
For national services, the SNCF will post revised timetables no later than 17:00 on Tuesday (September 9).
It is also advised to check the social media and official websites of local transportation networks for expected disruption to these services.
Likewise, the SUD Aérien union (aviation branch of the SUD union, one of France’s more radical groups) has called for workers to walk out on September 10.
It is unknown how disruptive this will be, but the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) will announce any cancellations on Tuesday evening at the latest. Delays may impact flights however if airports are under-staffed.
The sector is expected to be hit more widely on September 18 when air traffic controllers stage a walk out, independent of the day of inter-union strike action.
Port workers and ferries
The CGT’s maritime branches have called on port workers to join action on both September 10 and 18.
This is likely to lead to blockades at several major ports across France.
Currently, it is unknown how disruptive this will be to ferry services.
Recent strikes in the sector including blockades and dockworker walkouts have mostly focused on goods shipping, with passenger routes left mostly untouched.
However in the 2023 pension protests, many routes were impacted by such strikes.
Currently major ferry operators have Wednesday’s services running as-scheduled on website timetables.
In the event of a cancellation or delay they will contact passengers – it is therefore recommended to ensure the ferry company holds your correct details.
Road blockades and toll booth and speed camera action
Drivers are also expected to face disruptions with blockades expected on roads across the country, particularly in the Corrèze and Saône-et-Loire departments according to an official memo sent out to French police officers.
These blockades may limit traffic passing through or look to divert drivers onto an alternate route.
Several actions targeting speed cameras and toll booths are also reported to be planned, which could see the former destroyed by protesters and the latter forced open to provide drivers ‘free’ access through the barriers.
Farmers set to join the protests are also likely to block roads, potentially those popular with lorries carrying goods into and out of France (such as along the Spanish border), and similar to the gilets jaunes protests, roundabouts may be used as gathering points.
The sporadic and secretive nature of the protests makes it difficult to know exactly where blockades will take place, but drivers should be on alert and keep up to date with local media reports.
Protests are expected at oil refineries in France, but as of now there is no risk of a petrol shortage, with stations having several weeks worth of supplies stored up in case of any issues.
Shops and supermarkets may face surprise closures
Supermarket workers are set to join strike action, potentially impacting shops with extended queues and surprise closures.
Other workers and owners may walk out of shops or close for the day to join protests.
A call for a wider ‘economic protest’ by the movement is also present.
This includes asking people to take cash out of their account for their spending instead of using their bank card, limiting the money banks can make from transaction fees, as well as shopping at smaller local stores as opposed to corporations.
Refuse workers under the CGT umbrella have also been encouraged to strike.
Hospitals
Four major unions are backing strikes and walkouts in the sector on September 10. At the same time, month-long strikes of both hospital staff and civil servants (including those working at public hospitals) has also been called, all set to impact health services on Wednesday.
In particular, the unions have cited planned increases to franchises payments by patients using the French healthcare system as one of the major reasons for joining the protests.
Healthcare professionals working in public hospitals must adhere to minimum service requirements, meaning essential healthcare services will not be affected.
However, a lack of administration may affect non-urgent services including outpatient appointments or processing of data. If you have an appointment on Wednesday, call the hospital to check it is still on.
Schools and universities
While there is an ongoing strike in the education sector by teaching unions, student unions – and some far-left politicians – are calling on students at lycées (secondary schools) and universities to walk out or to ‘occupy’ their buildings.
*Poll conducted by Ipsos bva - Cesi École d'ingénieurs on behalf of French media outlet La Tribune Dimanche.
