French civil workers and students protest ahead of draft budget

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Unions said some 300,000 people took part in the one-day strike action nationwide, while police estimated a turnout of 30,000 in Paris on Tuesday.

The workers also demanded better working conditions and expressed anger at planned budget cuts.

Protests also took place at more than 400 schools, about 40 of which were blockaded. 

Ten people, both students and staff members, were wounded, and at least 440 were detained while 48 law enforcement officials were also injured.

According to unions, the government proposes freezing base salaries for state employees in 2027 to save €2 billion (£1.7bn).

It would be the fourth consecutive annual freeze and the eighth during President Emmanuel Macron’s tenure. 

Unions say the freezes have cost workers a double-digit share of their purchasing power, and they are demanding a 6 per cent raise.

General Confederation of Labour general secretary Sophie Binet called the protests “a red alert.”

“This anger is not going away. The government must look again at the budget,” she told Al Jazeera. 

She gave the government until tomorrow to reverse the planned cuts before her union decides on further strike action.

French teachers, who are paid less on average than their counterparts in other European countries, took part in the action, alongside firefighters, who say this summer’s huge wildfires exposed a lack of resources.

Students, meanwhile, have been protesting outside hundreds of schools over timetables, class sizes, teacher shortages and overheated classrooms during this year’s heatwaves. 

The demonstrations began in the Ile-de-France region around Paris on Monday and spread to other cities.

French media reported that protesters hurled projectiles at police, who responded with batons and tear gas.

“We’re here to deliver a message,” one 16-year-old female student told the AFP news agency.

“We’re not here to smash everything up for no reason. We’re here precisely to say that the education system is completely broken. 

“There are 34 of us in each class, and it’s just not feasible. The teachers are overworked.”

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that “violence is never legitimate,” while Education Minister Edouard Geffray condemned the clashes, posting online: “This violence is unspeakable.”

The government is expected to unveil its draft budget tomorrow, seven months before the presidential election.