Hundreds of thousands of people have marched in street demonstrations across France as trade unions held a day of strike action to pressure the new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, to rethink budget cuts and act on wages, pensions and public services.
There was disruption to public transport as train, bus and tram drivers went on strike, hospital staff joined protests and nine out of 10 pharmacies were closed as pharmacists protested against pricing policies. About one in six teachers at primary and secondary schools went on strike, as well as school canteen staff and monitors. Several high schools from Paris to Amiens and Le Havre were blockaded by students. Protesters held more than 250 demonstrations and marched in cities from Paris to Marseille, Nantes, Lyon and Montpellier.
“The anger is huge, and so is the determination – my message to Mr Lecornu today is this: it’s the streets that must decide the budget,” said Sophie Binet, head of the leftwing CGT union, as Macron’s new prime minister scrambles to put together a budget for next year, as well as form a new government.
The day of strikes and protests came at a time of political crisis in France. Last week, Macron named his close ally Lecornu as the third prime minister in a year, after the previous two – François Bayrou and Michel Barnier – were ousted by parliament amid bitter disagreements over budget cuts.
Lecornu was appointed after his centrist predecessor, Bayrou, lost a confidence vote on 8 September over his unpopular plan for a €44bn (£38bn) budget squeeze and austerity programme to reduce France’s public debt.
The prime minister has said he will ditch Bayrou’s deeply unpopular proposal to scrap two public holidays. But trade unions are concerned that other elements of Bayrou’s budget cuts – such as a freeze on most welfare spending – could be maintained. Lecornu has promised to abolish lifelong privileges for ex-prime ministers, but has so far not revealed his budget plans.
Lecornu has only weeks to come up with a budget text and form another minority government. He has to avoid any budget being immediately rejected by opposition parties who could call a vote of no confidence and oust him from office. Since Macron called a sudden snap election last June, the French parliament has been split between the left, the far right and the centre with no absolute majority. This has resulted in repeated deadlock over the budget.
“We’re here to protect public services, which are being chipped away at by successive government budget cuts,” said Sylvie, a public sector worker from Créteil outside Paris, who ran local creche provision after working for nearly 20 years in hospital child psychiatry.
Carrying a flag of the FSU public sector union, she said: “France is one of the few countries that a still has a proper social security system and a safety net to look after those in society who need help, but year after year it is being eroded by funding cuts. Salaries for public sector workers are very low; we do this work because we love it and want to serve people, not – for profit. Yet we’re being blamed for the high public debt, when in fact it is Emmanuel Macron’s tax breaks to businesses that have damaged public finances. We’re marching peacefully today because we just want the government to start listening to us.”
Christiane, who worked in cultural services in the Val-de-Marne outside Paris, said: “There are more and more working poor – people who have jobs who can’t afford rent and are sleeping in their cars.”
Guillaume, 49, a youth worker for children excluded from the school system in Rouen, Normandy, had come to Paris to march with the SUD union health-workers’ branch. He said: “All social protections are being attacked, from pensions to social security and healthcare provisions. The rich are getting richer and there is more inequality. I see the impact of budget cuts in the social work sector – more children need help and Covid aggravated the situation because some children were shut inside with families who may have neglected or mistreated them. I’m here today to tell the government: stop giving money to big businesses as tax breaks and handouts, it is damaging society and the whole state sector. We need measures to tax the very wealthy.”
Sandrine, from Lyon, a member of the CGT union, worked in a major French building firm, where she said shareholders were making large amounts of money while salaries were stagnating. “This is about social justice and tax justice,” she said.
The French interior ministry estimated that between 600,000 and 900,000 people had taken part in street demonstrations across the day.
By mid-afternoon, 140 people had been arrested across France. There were some clashes on the margins of protest rallies in the western city of Nantes, with police firing teargas, and in Lyon, where French media said three people were injured.
While the day of protests is an early test for Lecornu, much of the anger and slogans at the demonstrations were aimed at Macron, who has 18 months left in power and is at his lowest popularity levels since taking office in 2017.
Politicians on the left joined trade union marches. “The president is the source of chaos, and everything that has happened recently is the result of his actions,” said Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the leftwing party, La France Insoumise, in Marseille.
