Trade union leaders emerged from a nearly two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu at the Hôtel de Matignon on Wednesday with a shared sense of disappointment. Despite the escalating social unrest, the government offered no new measures to address the wave of protests that has gripped France in recent weeks.
Sophie Binet, secretary-general of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), said Lecornu had announced "no measures" in response to the unions' demands. "There was no consideration of our demands," she lamented, echoing the frustration of her counterparts from other major unions.
The CGT, which took part in the 17 October demonstrations that degenerated into riots and looting in several cities over the weekend, will again take to the streets on Saturday for the "act II" of the cost-of-living mobilisation, coordinated by a "yellow vest" group. But the unions' central objective remains the 5 November strike, which has been endorsed by almost all major labour organisations across both the private and public sectors.
Unions push for escalation
"The time has come to move the mobilisation up a gear; from that date strike action must take over," Binet said, urging workers to "generalise the strike." Marylise Léon, head of the French Democratic Confederation of Labour (CFDT), the country's largest union, said she expects "social responses" to workers' expectations before that date.
Cyril Chabanier, president of the French Confederation of Christian Workers (CFTC), noted that the government had "opened the door" to "a discussion" on raising the minimum wage. On this issue, Lecornu has called for things to "move quickly."
The unions also criticised the exclusion of secondary school and student organisations from the Matignon meeting. They are scheduled to meet the education minister on Monday. Édouard Geffray has promised initial measures to address demands expressed on the platform set up by the government. Students have been mobilised for weeks, calling for more resources for education, improvements to school buildings, replacement of absent teachers, and the scrapping of the Parcoursup platform, which handles tertiary education access and is widely seen as deeply flawed.
Macron's Middle East tour draws criticism
While the prime minister faced the unions, President Emmanuel Macron continued his tour of the Middle East. Speaking from Qatar, he called for "firmness" towards those responsible for the violence and convened a meeting with intelligence services on Thursday to examine the failings of 17 October. However, he made no announcements on the many demands voiced by protesters, including on purchasing power or funding for schools and universities.
Macron, who then travelled to Saudi Arabia where he was received by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said the French would get a "fair return" from this tour, notably on diesel prices. His decision to maintain the trip has drawn sharp criticism from across the political spectrum. Édouard Philippe, the Horizons presidential candidate, criticised the president's absence during a domestic crisis. Former head of state François Hollande attacked a government he considers weak, while Marine Le Pen, the National Rally candidate for the presidential election, targeted what she called the "waning power."
Curfews and arrests
In Paris, the police prefecture imposed a new curfew for the night from Wednesday to Thursday, banning the presence of adults and minors alike in the areas around Place de la République and the Les Halles district from 11 pm until 6 am. In Lyon, the Rhône prefecture renewed the curfew and the ban on gatherings, extending measures that had been in force for the previous two nights. The curfew runs from 11 pm to 6 am, two hours later than the previous ones, which started at 9 pm.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, visiting Marseille—which saw violent clashes at the weekend and where the town hall was vandalised—reported that 2,500 people had been taken into police custody following the violence and looting during the 17 October mobilisation. Of these, 917 have been brought before prosecutors for immediate appearances. The minister, who pledged that justice would be firm, said this figure had doubled, or even tripled.
In Paris, of the 557 people taken into custody after the violence and looting in the capital, 300 appeared before a magistrate by midday on Wednesday. On Tuesday evening, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that none had claimed a motive "of whatever political nature," even as the government accuses "the ultra-left" of being largely behind the violence.
The strategy for maintaining public order has also been called into question. The Defender of Rights announced on Tuesday that it had received 46 complaints since the start of the secondary school students' movement, more than ten of which concern incidents from the weekend. At the same time, the IGPN, the police internal affairs body, has been tasked with at least six investigations relating to those two days.
As the country braces for further demonstrations, the government faces a delicate balancing act: addressing legitimate grievances while restoring order. The upcoming strike on 5 November will be a critical test of both union strength and government resolve. For now, the unions have made clear they expect more than words.
