The national education strike resumes on Tuesday, 10 November, with demonstrations by students, high school students and staff in Paris and across France, in an effort to influence talks with the government. The call was taken up on Saturday, 7 November, by the Snes-FSU, the leading union for middle and high schools, and CGT Educ’action is urging staff to hold general assemblies from Monday to discuss an ongoing, renewable strike.
The timing explains everything. On Monday, 9 November, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is bringing together unions and employers at 9:30 a.m. for a social conference on wages and purchasing power, and will then meet representatives of high school and university students from 3:30 to 5 p.m., according to franceinfo. Tuesday is therefore a full-scale test: if Monday’s announcements disappoint, people must make their voices heard in the streets the very next day.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray refused in a Saturday interview to change the 2027 baccalaureat calendar and said he will not alter this year’s Parcoursup timetable to accommodate class disruptions. Lecornu convened a committee on orientation and scheduled talks with lyceen and student representatives at Matignon on Monday as unions press for further action. The dispute highlights how France’s centralised baccalaureat and Parcoursup platform shape university access and could prompt longer-term legislative reform, including a possible platform replacement in 2028.
A movement that began in schools
Protests erupted in French high schools in September but have since spiralled into a broader outpouring of anger over living costs, public services and political stagnation. On Saturday, 7 November, around 146,000 people joined demonstrations nationwide, including 46,000 in Paris, according to the French Interior Ministry, in the fourth consecutive weekend of protests. Clashes erupted in Paris and Marseille, and police detained more than 360 people.
The government’s Monday offer — advancing the automatic minimum-wage inflation adjustment from January to December and adding a discretionary boost of about 22 euros net a month, taking the minimum wage close to 1,500 euros net — falls far short of union demands. The CFDT wants 100 euros net, the CGT wants about 150 euros net, and public-sector unions, who were not invited to Monday’s session, will be received separately on Friday, 13 November.
The unions are particularly concerned that the public sector will be left out of pay talks. They are meeting on Tuesday evening to take stock and decide what to do next, in coordination with the cross-industry union coalition. The unrest comes five months before France’s presidential election, and the outcome at Matignon may decide whether the protests lose momentum or grow.
Related coverage: France Protests Continue as Lecornu Prepares Monday Talks
