French strike most in June and Sept

STRIKES in France in 2015 showed a seasonal trend, reaching their peaks before and after the summer holiday, a study has found.

The data have been gathered by the website cestlagreve.fr which also found that the health sector was the biggest loser to strikes.

August, in the middle of the holidays, was the month least likely to see strikes.

The site gathered details on 966 strikes in France last year. While the number seems enormous, the vast majority were local, with just 93 national strikes - three of which were general.

Industrial action over hospital reforms in 2015 put the health sector as the most affected area for strikes last year, followed by La Poste, the SNCF and then urban public transport groups.

The departments most hit by strikes were those with the largest populations: Paris, the Bouches-du-Rhône (largely due to Marseille) and the Rhône (due to Lyon).

The number of strikes in France is diminishing according to figures from the Ministry of Work, but while they are becoming fewer, they are becoming longer.

In 2013 only 1.2% of private companies with more than 10 employees had a strike, the lowest rate since 2008.

However, when only firms that did see strikes are considered, the total number of days lost to industrial action has risen from 250 in 2012 to 322 in 2013.

The French strike most in June and September says study - The Connexion
Photo:Flickr/Grégoire Lannoy