French unions and left-wing parties claim momentum after November 5 cost-of-living protests, Digi Mart USA News (France): The CGT, which called the intersyndicale mobilization “against the high cost of living,” hailed a “success” on November 5, counting 1.6 million demonstrators across France. The Interior Ministry, by contrast, counted 575,000 protesters in the evening, more than the October 17 (550,000), October 24 (410,000) and October 31 (320,000) mobilizations.
The CGT and the CFDT, in particular, demanded a substantial increase in the minimum wage (Smic) and a broader rise in wages, and believe they are well placed to negotiate with the Prime Minister. Before the marches had even ended, Sébastien Lecornu announced a “social conference” with unions and employer organizations for Monday, November 9.
Estimates varied widely by city. In Paris, authorities counted 65,000 marchers and the CGT 350,000.
In Lyon, the prefecture counted between 30,500 and the CGT 55,000; in Rennes, between 20,600 and 35,000; and in Bordeaux, between 21,000 and 120,000 according to the CGT. Police clashes and violence were reported at the front of some processions.
The mobilization drew high school and university students, the yellow vest movement, which has revived cost-of-living protests for three Saturdays, and farmers from the Confédération paysanne. The Snes-FSU union said nearly a thousand high schools were blocked or administratively closed, while the government counted 81 of the country’s 3,700.
The Union étudiante said 90% of about 70 universities were mobilized, meaning blocked or closed, while the government said one third of higher-education institutions were disrupted.
Strike participation was uneven. The Education Ministry said nearly 16% of teachers were on strike, while Snes-FSU counted 52% of staff in colleges and high schools.
Transport was largely undisrupted overall, although Romain Pitelet of the CGT Cheminots said more than one in three railway workers at SNCF struck. At EDF SA, excluding subsidiaries, 18.9% of employees were counted as strikers at midday as annual wage negotiations in the electricity and gas industries began.
The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe remained closed to visitors.
Following the protests, Sébastien Lecornu announced the November 9 social conference to respond to purchasing power and wage concerns. The same day, the latest Elabe barometer for Les Echos gave President Emmanuel Macron a 13% confidence rating, which the outlet reported as a lower standing than his Socialist predecessor François Hollande.
The rejection of the government’s 2027 budget, proposed on November 4, by 458 votes against and none in favor, was also cited by opposition lawmakers, some of whom described it as the end of Macronism six months before the presidential election.
CGT leader Sophie Binet told the demonstration that the question was no longer whether they would win but “how much we will win,” demanding a 10% increase in the Smic and calling for the mobilization to continue. CFDT leader Marylise Léon called for a minimum wage boost of 100 euros and “concrete answers” to the difficulty faced by French people in making ends meet.
Political leaders on the left echoed the union claims. Marine Tondelier, head of the Greens, called the mobilization “exceptional” and urged it to continue until the government heard their demands.
Clémence Guetté of La France Insoumise said the movement had never been so strong, while the Socialists said that after ten years of Macronism, people aspire to a dignified life and to a France that lives up to its values of liberty, equality and fraternity.
