France gears up for protests, strikes over budget cuts

PARIS – Teachers, train drivers, pharmacists and hospital staff are among workers expected to go on strike in France on Sept 18 as part of a day of protests against

looming budget cuts.

Unions are calling for more spending on public services, more tax on the wealthy, and for the scrapping of an unpopular change to state pensions.

The social unrest comes as President Emmanuel Macron and his newly appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu are facing a political crisis and pressure to bring finances under control in the euro zone’s second-largest economy.

An Interior Ministry source said that as many as 800,000 people were expected to take part in the strikes and protests.

Workers angry over fiscal plans

“The workers we represent are angry,” the country’s main unions said in a joint statement in which they rejected the previous government’s “brutal” and “unfair” fiscal plans.

France’s budget deficit in 2024 was close to double the EU’s 3 per cent ceiling, but much as he wants to reduce that, Mr Lecornu – reliant on other parties to push through legislation – will face a political battle to gather parliamentary support for a budget for 2026.

He was appointed prime minister last week after Parliament ousted Mr Francois Bayrou over his plan for a €44 billion (S$66 billion) budget squeeze. The new prime minister has not yet said what he will do with Mr Bayrou’s plans, although he has opened the door to making compromises.

Ms Sophie Binet, chief of the General Confederation of Labour union, known as CGT, said after meeting with Mr Lecornu earlier this week: “We will continue to mobilise as long as there is no adequate response. The budget will be decided in the streets.”

Protests expected to hit schools, trains

One in three primary school teachers will strike, the FSU-SNUipp union said. Power company EDF said some of its workers would also be on strike.

Widespread disruption is expected on the metro network in Paris, and regional trains will also be heavily affected, while most of the country’s high-speed TGV train lines will work, officials said.

The farmers’ union, Confederation Paysanne, has also called for mobilisation. Pharmacists are angry over changes affecting their business, and the USPO pharmacists’ union said a survey it did among pharmacies showed that 98 per cent could close for the day.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told BFM TV that 80,000 police and gendarmes will be deployed.

Riot units, drones and armoured vehicles will be on hand to counter what Mr Retailleau said was possible sabotage and attempts to block various sites early in the day. He said he also expected some violent troublemakers to try to clash with police. REUTERS