When austerity hits everyday life in France, civil servants, firefighters and students come together, for the first time on September 29th

CGT: Tout augmente, sauf nos salaires #29septembre “Yesterday, Tuesday, September 29, 2026, 200,000 people demonstrated across France - in a total of 115 cities - at the call of the unions (...) The subject of the mobilization, which all relevant unions had called for (in Paris, however, over 80 percent were mobilized by the CGT, while the right-wing social democratic-led CFDT only mobilized a few hundred people, plus other associations such as the left-wing alternative Union Syndicale Solidaires). emphasizes the right-wing police union Alliance, which ran at the end of the demo), but was also the budget consultation for the 2027 state budget that will begin in a few days. (…) Since the beginning of the week, a protest movement by high school students (lycéens and lycéennes) has taken on considerable power. This was also visible at the Paris demonstration through a very dynamic youth bloc…”Article by Bernard Schmid from September 30, 2026(“There is a social fire, but the fire brigade is there”) as wellViews and further information:

There is a social fire, but the fire department is there

Yesterday, Tuesday, September 29, 2026, 200,000 people demonstrated across France - in a total of 115 cities - at the call of the trade unions, according to the French Ministry of the Interior, 300,000 people demonstrated according to figures from the trade union confederation CGT, i.e. the left-wing of the two strongest umbrella organizations (CGT and CFDT). As a rule, on a purely quantitative level, the truth lies somewhere in the middle between the two “political” numbers.

In the capital Paris, according to the police/interior ministry, there were “30,000” people on the protest march, but according to the CGT, “70,000” people were on the protest march. In this case, the purely quantitative truth seems to be much closer to the police numbers (honesty required!). Passing a fixed point, for example on the Boulevard Beuamarchais, before arriving at Bastille Square (about halfway) took almost exactly an hour; You can't fit 70,000 into that time frame and the space available unless you tie them together pretty tightly. However, protesting and striking fire brigade members, according to their unions of 10,000 and according to the police of 5,000, were also out and about elsewhere in the city and set off firecrackers in the south of Paris.

Those called upon were primarily dependent employees in the public services - educational institutions, hospitals, but also police officers - due, among other things, to falling real wages in the public services. According to figures from the CGT, which in this case are much more credible than those from government circles and the bourgeois press (this may sometimes be slightly different when it comes to participants/numbers), they have lost a total of -28.6% to -33% in purchasing power since 2000, i.e. in terms of income measured against the average increase in earnings nationwide. (https://www.cgt.fr/actualites/france/fonction-publique-elections/point-dindice-des-fonctionnaires-et-vous-combien-avez-vous-perdu externer Link andhttps://www.20minutes.fr/politique/4247665-20260929-pourquoi-projet-budget-2027-fait-poches-fonctionnaires-emouvoir-personne ) For three years now, public employers have only been doing zero rounds in collective wage and salary negotiations (see alsohttps://www.cgtetat.fr/vie-des-personnels/remunerations/evolution-du-pouvoir-d-achat/ externer Link ). However, a public television station and the national statistics office INSEE claim that in the last ten years, public employees have gained - albeit meager - purchasing power by 1.2%, while private employees have gained 3.2%. (https://www.franceinfo.fr/economie/greve/greve-des-fonctionnaires/fonctionnaires-en-greve-le-pouvoir-d-achat-des-agents-de-la-fonction-publique-a-t-il-reellement-baisse-ces-dernieres-annees_8215358.html externer Link ) The little trick here is that all increases in earnings due to job changes, promotions, and retirement bonuses are taken into account and are not really wage increases. In France, the worst off are often school teachers, who today start their careers just above the statutory minimum wage (SMIC) - in the 1980s it was double the minimum wage.

The subject of the mobilization, which all relevant trade unions had called for (in Paris, however, over 80 percent was the CGT, while the right-wing social democratic-led CFDT only mobilized a few hundred people, plus other associations such as the left-wing alternative Union syndicale Solid aires but also the decidedly right-wing police union Alliance, which ran at the end of the demo), was also the budget consultation for the 2027 state budget, which began in a few days.

Oh, that little bit of housekeeping...

Austerity is called for. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu wants to make historic savings of 54 billion euros in the budget, citing the high national debt (previous governments were more likely to rely on the “financial markets” to finance their politicians than on tax burdens on the rich and companies). Of course, this wouldn't be possible without social cruelty.

In addition to austerity measures in public services or in the financing of social policy, the government is also planning to restrict continued wage payments for victims of work-related accidents and occupational diseases and to save 270 million euros (last figure from September 26, in July this year there was also talk of 800 million), a plan that is causing particular outrage among trade unionists and yet is only slightly noticed by the public. (cf.https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2026/09/10/accidents-du-travail-le-gouvernement-officialise-la-baisse-des-indemnites-journalieres_6770009_823448.html externer Link and before:https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2026/07/06/accidents-du-travail-le-gouvernement-demande-800-millions-d-economies-aux-partenaires-sociaux_6721241_3234.html )

The budget law for the current year already contained some social cruelties, such as increasing the share of out-of-pocket costs for those with health insurance for medication. In December 2025, this year's budget was passed in parliament because the representatives of the right-wing social democratic Parti Socialiste (PS), after they were able to negotiate a few mitigations, decided against a vote of no confidence in the government - which would have been accepted if all left-wing parties had agreed to it at the time. Now the PS also wants to destroy the budget for next year because the government is going too far. But now the right-wing extremist Marine Le Pen and her group of around 120 people want to forego a dissenting vote, as reported on September 13, 26 by the weekend newspaperLa Tribune dimanchebecame known. If she is elected President at the beginning of May 2027, there will still be time to make changes, she used as an argument in favor of this.

Fire brigade on strike

Imagine you call the fire department – and they don’t come. This could potentially have fatal consequences. However, this scenario is currently not threatened in France, despite a prolonged strike to which professional firefighters are called; it started on September 8th. The staff is called on to take industrial action until October 20th. It was preceded by a strike day in the previous month that had a warning character on August 13th. In the evening of the same day, a meeting between the nine unions represented among employees with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez was, from their point of view, extremely disappointing. The idea of a longer-term strike immediately arose.

But they will continue to carry out their most important missions, which include not only extinguishing fires but also rescue operations, for example in the event of traffic accidents, heart attacks, strokes and acute symptoms of poisoning. Not because the strike model that sometimes exists in Japan, in the form of normal work with an inscription “We are striking” on an armband worn during work, seemed so advantageous or exemplary to them. However, these activities are sometimes vital and life-saving and therefore cannot simply be omitted. The prefecture, i.e. the government authority in the department or administrative district, could also, if necessary, impose punitive service obligations in such operations.

However, depending on the severity of the emergency, the emergency vehicles will sometimes be deployed with reduced crew numbers. And in less urgent work, such as fire safety assessments on construction sites and other preventative measures, the consequences of the strike could be noticeable - construction may then be delayed without lives being in danger.

On the first day, Tuesday, September 8th, the industrial action was massive. In the Breton cities of Vannes and Lorient, for example, according to the website specializing in local politicsmaville.comStrike participation of 100 percent was reported in Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France and in Marquise, according to the regional newspaperLa Voix du Nord “Between 75 and 90 percent“, in Strasbourg, Alsace, around 90 percent.

France has around 44,000 full-time firefighters with employment contracts. There are also around 200,000 volunteer firefighters, who, however, do not work full-time and, unlike the professional fire department, cannot be available around the clock; In the urban area of Paris, the fire department personnel there have the status of professional military personnel. The unions are calling for the hiring of 21,000 additional professional fire protection people.

Their demands did not arise spontaneously from their imagination, but came directly from the experiences of this year's extreme fire summer with its forest fires, which highlighted the sometimes severe shortage of personnel and the understaffing of many fire brigade barracks and emergency vehicles. In the eastern French district of Moselle (Mosel) around the city of Metz, where 782 full-time firefighters work, the unions put the shortage at around 200 professional firefighters. In addition, the CGT branch union responsible for fire protection, the CGT SDIS 57, speaks of fifty percent of the emergency vehicles suitable for forest fires that are now broken down and missing compared to ten years ago.

Strike participants also point out a lack of material to protect the health of the emergency services.“We breathe in toxic gases and fumes through a cheap head mask that costs ten euros”,quotes the regional newspaperMidi LibreIn the south of France on September 12th, 26 fire brigade strikers gathered on the Place de la Comédie in Montpellier. Back in August, a representative of the fire service union SSP-PATS 34 - which, unlike its colleagues from the CGT, is not affiliated to a cross-industry umbrella organization -, Cyrille Albanese, told the radio stationFrance Infofor the record:“The hood of the uniform we currently use does not have a gas or particulate filter and is therefore dangerous.”

There are also demands for better protection for firefighters through professional and statutory health insurance companies and, as in the entire public service, which has seen several rounds of zero wages and salaries in recent years, for increases in earnings.

Originally, in the run-up to yesterday's union day of action, a three-day “long-term rally” by firefighters, a kind of vigil, was supposed to take place on the centrally located place de la République in Paris on September 26th, 27th and 28th. Instead, however, it became a tent city under the Eiffel Tower, which likely generated more national and international publicity. (https://www.bfmtv.com/societe/greves/en-greve-les-pompiers-dorment-au-pied-de-la-tour-eiffel-pour-clamer-leur-colere-et-demander-plus-de-moyens_AD-202609280093.html externer Link )

Youth research

When it comes to the otherwise perhaps rather sluggish dynamics of the social movements in France last week - many in society are currently taking their displeasure and frustration, at least in the pre-election polls, to the extreme right and, yes, that is a problem - it is at the moment the youth. Since the beginning of the week, a protest movement by high school students (LycéensandLycéennes) assumed a significant impact. This was also visible at the Paris demonstration through a very dynamic youth bloc.

Regarding the choice of terms: “high schools” and “high school students” because there has been a common middle school in France since 1975 (Collègue unique), i.e. all students attend absolutely the same school until they possibly leave after middle school and do not go to separate school branches such as secondary school / secondary school / high school, as in Germany. Anyone who has completed middle school (college)continues, then goes to a separate high school orLycee. In this respect, the French school system as a whole is more similar to what is called a “comprehensive school” in Germany.

The cause of the protest here is overcrowded classes - up to 35 students in some places - and lesson cancellations due to... Teacher shortages (in the Seine-Saint-Denis district north and north-east of Paris, which is characterized by widespread poverty), young people lose an average of a full school year through missing classes until they graduate from high school, less elsewhere, heat in summer and cold in winter due to school buildings that are dilapidated or in need of renovation, and sometimes discrimination against those of migrant origin.

421 schools across France were affected by strikes, blockades and protests at the beginning of the week, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. (https://www.bfmtv.com/politique/video-blocage-des-lycees-on-s-attend-a-ce-qu-il-y-ait-le-meme-mouvement-demain-et-il-y-aura-le-meme-dispositif-policier-explique-laurent-nunez_VN-202609290853.html externer Link ). In the evening there were still around 330 schools affected.

During the day, a total of 440 arrests were announced in this context, for clashes with police, burning garbage cans... (https://www.bfmtv.com/politique/gouvernement/colere-lyceenne-laurent-nunez-annonce-440-interpellation-et-assure-que-la-reponse-des-forces-de-l-ordre-etait-proportionnee_AV-202609290872.html externer Link ) The fact that the police systematically marched in front of the school buildings that were on strike or (partially) blocked was certainly an escalating rather than a de-escalating factor. Individual shitty actions or activities that got out of hand - a kick against a teacher in Lille, an attack on an administrative representative who came with a fire extinguisher in Toulouse, a burning school gate in Saint-Denis near Paris - were quickly hyped up by the mass media into the central problem of a supposed nature. (The FSU education union also condemned the attacks on staff members on Tuesday.)

The left-wing or left-wing populist election platform LFI (“Indomitable France”), which supports the student movement and speaks of police violence that is worthy of criticism, came under sharp public attacks as a result. The mayor of Saint-Denis, Bally Bagayoko, who was welcomed like a rock star when he arrived in front of a high school on strike and was carried around in his hands by young people, was particularly attacked - after he had already faced mass media, purely racist attacks shortly after his election in March 2026, especially on the private television station CNews(“tribal chief”)was exposed. The conservative regional president of the capital region Ile-de-France, Valérie Pécresse, a failed presidential candidate in 2022 (with less than five percent of the vote nationwide at the time), announced him, Bagayoko, personally on the short message service X“to deliver the invoice for 100,000 euros”,because of repair costs for the school gate that caught fire, but also for guard and security services and clean-up work. (https://www.lefigaro.fr/social/blocus-des-lycees-valerie-pecresse-veut-envoyer-la-facture-des-degradations-au-maire-lfi-de-saint-denis-bally-bagayoko-20260930 externer Link andhttps://www.bfmtv.com/politique/la-france-insoumise/video-lycees-bloques-a-saint-denis-la-presidente-de-la-region-ile-de-france-valerie-pecresse-souhaite-envoyer-la-facture-des-degradations-a-bally-bagayoko_VN-202609300091.html ) Holy demagoguery, pray for us…

Article by Bernard Schmid from September 30, 2026

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Views and further information

A successful day of action that encourages further calls
“On Tuesday, September 29, civil servants were called on to go on strike to defend their salaries and working conditions and to protest against the government's austerity budget plans. This mobilization saw more than 300,000 people take part in demonstrations across the country…” French.Report from 9/29/26 from Solidaires (machine translated)
“There were large demonstrations in Paris and other cities in France. Teachers and firefighters stopped working across the country, but local transport ran largely normally…”Post from Euronews German from September 29th. on bsky with video
France: Students block high schools against austerity policies, racism and police repression
“In the precarious neighborhoods of the greater Paris area, high school students have been blocking their schools for a week. Despite the brutal actions of the police, they stand firm to fight the pressure to perform at school, the social selection and the racism of the police. (…) On September 28, teachers and supervisors in Saint-Denis, who had been on strike for several days, formed a human chain to protect their students and put themselves between them and the police. A few days earlier, the supervisors had already organized a rally in front of the city's police station to demand the release of those arrested.
An exemplary solidarity that shows the way into the future. In Gonesse, teachers and students even organized a union meeting together to discuss the demands. In fact, high school student mobilizations often began by taking on teachers' demands when they went on strike because of a lack of resources. They add to these essential political demands that are directed against the role of the school institution in capitalist society: the development of docile workers who are raised to be afraid of the bosses (or teachers) and to obey well. (…) This week-long mobilization in the greater Paris area has already sparked ideas in other high schools in France, but also at universities. On September 29th, public sector unions have been calling for a day of mobilization for several weeks - against the government budget, which proposes cuts of 54 billion in order to continue giving gifts to the bosses and to finance France's massive rearmament. After a summer marked by massive wildfires, the firefighters who have felt the brunt of budget cuts are at the forefront of demonstrations. The mobilization of students could give this isolated day of action a more combative and explosive face. This morning, high schools were blocked in several cities - Paris, Bordeaux, Rennes, Lyon, Marseille, Le Mans, Lille and Toulouse.
Because the voice of the students expresses something deeper in the country. In recent weeks, viral videos on TikTok show young workers in precarious employment putting on their yellow vests and calling for the 2018-2019 insurgency to resume from October 17th. There is no shortage of anger given the ever-increasing prices, particularly of gasoline, stagnating wages and the government's constant attacks on healthcare and pensions…”Article by Joachim Bertin from September 29th, 2026 at Klasse gegen Klasse
Blockades at high schools: A high school student was injured in the face by a police shot with a “Cougar” rifle, and an investigation has been initiated
“According to the Interior Minister, the operations of 180 schools were affected by student movement on Monday, September 28th. The law enforcement officers arrested 164 people.
An investigation has been opened and transferred to the Inspectorate General of the National Police (IGPN) after a police officer fired a "cougar" - a grenade launcher used in the maintenance of public order - injuring a student, BFMTV learned on Monday, September 28, from a source close to the investigation. An investigation into violence against public officials has also been assigned to the Cergy police station.
For a week, students from the Île-de-France region have been gathering in front of their schools to protest against their educational conditions. The teenager was injured in the face this morning during a blockade at the “Château d’Épluches” vocational school in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône (Val-d’Oise). According to images circulating on social networks, the shot was fired at the student from a very close distance, apparently without respecting the prescribed rule that shots must be fired in an arc and not directly…” French.Article by Alexandra Gonzalez and Salomé Robles from September 28, 2026 on bfmtv (machine translated)
- Protests in France's schools: Students clash with the police
  “There were large demonstrations in Paris and other cities in France. Teachers and firefighters stopped working across the country, but local transport ran largely normally.
  French youths set fire to garbage cans and threw objects in clashes with police on Tuesday. They continue to block some high schools and demand better learning conditions.
  Students have been protesting in front of their schools since last week. They complain about timetables, overcrowded classes, a shortage of teachers and overheated rooms after the recent heat waves. The movement at the lycées, the high schools in France, began in the Île-de-France region around Paris. The education authorities reported blockades at around ten schools on Tuesday. The demonstrations have now spread to cities across the country. (…) Around 80 students with posters gathered in front of the Lycée Lamartine in Paris. It featured slogans such as “More lessons than sleep” and “8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., are we students or are we under arrest?”
  There were tense scenes at the Lycée Bréquigny in Rennes, the largest high school in Brittany. Around 100 students threw objects at the building, an AFP video journalist reported.
  The actions coincide with a nationwide day of protest by unions, which have announced demonstrations and strikes against the budget of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, a close confidant of President Emmanuel Macron.
  French police officers confront students at the entrance to the Baggio high school in Lille, September 29, 2026 (…)
  "The anger is enormous. I warn the government: it must respond to the demands and revise the draft budget. It is dangerous for the country and is driving us directly towards the wall of recession at 200 kilometers per hour," said the chairwoman of the CGT union, Sophie Binet, to the broadcaster BFM TV.
  A 17-year-old student at Lycée Lamartine, who wished to remain anonymous, said the teenagers became angry because of a lack of resources, overheated classrooms and overcrowded schedules. “We are also here to support our teachers, who have to work an incredible amount of work in relation to their wages,” she told AFP. (…)
  Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported 164 arrests on Monday and that 180 schools were affected. “We cannot accept attacks,” he said.
  In the low-income Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, the district's LFI mayor, Bally Bagayoko, joined a protest by several hundred young people at the Lycée Paul-Eluard. He sang the national anthem Marseillaise with the young people, called the protests “completely legitimate” and complained that poorer neighborhoods received less funding than wealthy areas.”Article by Gavin Blackburn from 29/09/2026 on Euronews
- on police violence see alsoSebastian Roché on bsky
“More than 170 demonstrations across #France, more than 300,000 demonstrators: civil servants, firefighters, high school students and students, against the austerity policies of the Macron government, the lack of resources and staff and the disastrous state of public services and public services…”Thread from Ardor from September 29th on bsky with photo and video
""French youths set fire to garbage cans and threw objects in clashes with police on Tuesday. They continue to blockade some high schools and demand better learning conditions.” "Students have been protesting in front of their schools since last week. They complain about timetables, overcrowded classes, a lack of teachers and overheated rooms after the recent heat waves.”Post from Ernstd from September 29th. on bsky
“On September 29th we will strike and demonstrate for our wages and strong public services! In the #FSU demonstration march with @snesfsu73.bsky.social, striking colleagues explain to us the - numerous - reasons for this deployment in the public service #public services“FrenchVideo on bsky , see alsohttps://www.cgtftv.fr/ andhttps://bsky.app/profile/cgtftv.bsky.social as well as photos from fra._nd:https://bsky.app/profile/fra-nd.bsky.social
#29september

And the previous calls under the motto "for needs-based funding for the public service! Public service is not a cost factor, but a benefit!":

For more public services, higher wages: strike on September 29th
“On September 29th, public service workers will strike and demonstrate at the call of all unions - for their wages, their working conditions and the resources for the public service: firefighters, nurses, teachers and everyone who performs public service tasks..” FrenchCall of the CGT and ibid.the map of actions
In view of the Prime Minister's provocations: Let us all go on strike next September 29th!
“Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has announced that the 2027 draft budget provides for a new freeze of the index for 2027!
Following the announcement of the freeze for 2026 in July by David Amiel, Minister of Public Finance and Budget Policy, this is a further provocation and a further expression of contempt for the 5.5 million civil servants whose salaries have long since stopped keeping pace with inflation. It was the firefighters who risked their lives in this summer's fires, the school staff who bought fans out of their own pockets to try to avoid having to suffer below 35°C while teaching, and the nursing staff who also once again worked in deplorable conditions…” French.Call from Solidaires (machine translated)
September 29: Mobilization for public service!
“The new school year of 2026 marks the end of a decade in which governments under Emmanuel Macron have underinvested in public education. All crises served as a pretext for cuts in salaries, resources and working conditions. SUD éducation calls on all employees to mobilize on September 29th to demand an increase in our salaries as well as more funding for schools and better working conditions…” French.Call from SUD éducation (machine translated)
Strike in the public sector: After the major forest fires in the summer, firefighters went out in large numbers on September 29th
““The fire brigade is overloaded with personnel: our services can no longer function properly due to the reduction in public service personnel," Michaël Pacanowski, chairman of the national fire brigade union SPASDIS-CFTC, recently explained to us. For this reason, our CFTC members are mobilizing at the fire brigade on September 29th together with our other activists in the public service. Ludovic Goblet, vice president of the national fire brigade union SPASDIS-CFTC, addresses the serious material and personnel shortages here which the firefighters have to contend with…” French.Report dated September 29, 2026 from the CFTC(machine translated) – see also the dossier:Deadly forest fire season 2026 in France: firefighters at the limit – a profession at the end of its tether
See also thatCalling the SNES-FSU – Middle and Upper School Union organizes teachers, CPE, PsyEN, AEd and AESH, working in upper secondary public schools, member of the Fédération Syndicale Unitaire – and itsAction page
Mobilization of high school students: The right to demonstrate must be guaranteed, police violence must end
“Since last week, students have been mobilizing to draw attention to their learning conditions, the lack of staff and the inadequate resources in schools. The Union Syndicale Solidaires supports these mobilizations in favor of public education. They are legitimate, need to be taken seriously and receive a response. The government's only response is through the police. Images of rare violence reach us from everywhere. Students, most of whom are minors, are beaten and sprayed with tear gas by police officers, even though nothing seems to justify the use of police force.
These deliberate acts of violence with weapons by people exercising public authority are shocking and unacceptable. It is all the more serious that they are covered and supported by the government. For his part, at his press conference on the evening of September 28, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez directly targeted a trade union organization, SUD éducation, justifying the unlawful use of weapons against students, such as shooting them at close range and directly in the head with a tear gas grenade using a “Cougar” launcher.
The right to strike and the right to demonstrate must be respected. The “Solidaires” union calls for people to stand by the mobilized students.
Since the movement is expected to expand, the strike day on September 29th will serve to consolidate the struggles and demands.” FrenchReport from 9/29/26 from Solidaires (machine translated)
- SeeSolidaires étudiant-e-s and theirsCall on Insta
MOUVEMENT NATIONAL LYCÉEN
The first ecological, feminist, anti-fascist, anti-capitalist and revolutionary student union!https://mnl-syndicat.fr/ and youCall on Insta
Solidarity with the student movements, end the oppression!
“Students from around twenty high schools in the Île-de-France region campaigned all week for better school buildings, better learning conditions and against discrimination. SUD éducation supports this mobilization and calls on all staff to stand alongside the high school movement, which is also gaining momentum in other departments.
An unacceptable lack of resources
The lack of resources that students have suffered for several years is becoming unbearable. The classes are overcrowded. The timetables are overloaded and no replacement staff are hired (teachers, medical-social staff and AESH). Since there is no space in the rooms, the students sometimes have to complete lessons without furniture. The shortage of teachers makes it impossible to reduce class sizes, which are often well over 35 students per class. This lack of resources contributes to the social and educational segregation suffered by students from working-class neighborhoods. These situations are the result of political decisions that lead to underfunding of public education and an increase in the social selection of our students. In view of these catastrophic learning conditions, SUD éducation is calling for the immediate resumption of high schools - which have been excluded since 2015 - in the map of educational priorities so that students from working-class neighborhoods finally receive the resources they need for their school education. (…)
SUD éducation reiterates its full support for the students who are resisting this repression. We will represent your demands to defend an inclusive and emancipatory public education on the strike and demonstration day on September 29th.” FrenchPress release from September 28, 2026 from SUD éducation (machine translated)