France’s education strike is under way on Tuesday 10 November, as teachers, school pupils, university students and researchers walk out in Paris and across the country to press Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s government over pay, staffing and funding. The strike is the latest in a wave of school-led protests that began in late September and has grown into the biggest challenge of Lecornu’s premiership.
Fifteen organisations signed the joint call for the day of action, including the Snes-FSU, the leading union for middle and high schools, the FSU, FERC-CGT, FO and Sud Education on the staff side, and the USL, UNEF, FAGE, FSE and Solidaires etudiant-e-s among students. In Paris, police have authorised a single march from the Pantheon to Place d’Italie, setting off at 2pm. Demonstrations are also planned in Nice, where protesters gather at Place Garibaldi at 10am, and in Marseille, where several thousand are expected at Les Reformes from 10.30am. Some secondary school pupils are being encouraged to blockade their schools before joining the marches.
The unions are demanding more permanent teaching and support posts, better salaries, improved resources for schools and universities, and the cancellation of job cuts proposed in the 2027 budget. Student groups are also demanding the abolition of Parcoursup, France’s university admissions platform.
Talks that left teachers out
The strike follows a tense Monday at Matignon. Lecornu brought unions and employers together for a social conference on wages and purchasing power, but public-sector unions were not invited and are instead due to meet government representatives on Friday 13 November. After the meeting, Lecornu announced an additional 0.6 per cent rise in the minimum wage on top of an automatic 1 per cent increase, taking effect on 1 December and lifting the SMIC to about 1,502 euros net a month. Unions say the offer falls far short of their demands.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray has confirmed that baccalaureate examinations will not be postponed despite lessons missed because of school blockades, a decision that has angered pupil groups.
A movement that keeps growing
The last nationwide day of action, on Thursday 5 November, saw 52 per cent of teachers and education staff on strike, according to union figures, with nearly 1,000 secondary schools partially or fully blocked or closed. The Interior Ministry counted nearly 600,000 marchers that day; the CGT put the figure at almost 1.6 million.
Further nationwide strike action is already planned for Tuesday 17 November, with unions calling for broader participation from employees, pensioners and young people. How large today’s mobilisation proves to be will shape whether Lecornu’s government faces a pause or an escalation in the weeks ahead.
Sources: Riviera Radio (9–10 Nov 2026); Sortiraparis (9 Nov 2026); The Local France via Briefly (9 Nov 2026).
