French Strikes and School Blockades Challenge Macron Before 2027 Budget

French public sector workers went on strike and high school students blockaded hundreds of schools across France on Tuesday, September 29, as unions demanded more funding for schools and hospitals and the government prepared to unveil a budget built around 54 billion euros in spending cuts.²⁴

Strike day and school blockades

Labor organizations called for a nationwide walkout, with over 170 demonstrations scheduled throughout the country, to push for greater funding for schools, hospitals and other public services. Morning commuters faced only modest train and bus delays, even as the country's aviation authority cautioned that flights at certain airports could be affected.⁴³

Different outlets gave different turnout numbers: Al Jazeera put the share of teachers and school employees walking out at roughly 11 percent, with fewer than one in ten other civil servants participating, whereas EU Today pointed to a government figure showing 13.71 percent of teachers on strike. Acteurs Publics described the mobilisation as limited overall but stronger within the central state administration.²⁸⁷

Students blockaded schools in several cities. Up to one in ten high school entrances were blockaded in Paris, and more than 330 high schools were affected nationwide. In Lille, masked pupils set bins on fire outside Lycée César Baggio, while bus shelters and billboards were vandalised and objects thrown at police, who responded with tear gas. Teenagers piled up bins to block Lycée Gabriel Guist'hau, and teachers formed a line around protesting students to shield them from police. The day's events left 40 people arrested and 10 wounded.²

Grievances over pay and services

Multiple reports on the demonstrations noted that French teachers earn lower average salaries than their counterparts elsewhere in Europe. Firefighters' lack of resources was laid bare during the summer's wildfires, and they demanded additional resources after being pushed to their limits. According to unions, public-sector workers have seen their purchasing power fall by over 6 percent since salaries were last adjusted in July 2023, and the upcoming budget would mark the fourth straight year that government employees' base wages remain frozen.³⁴⁸⁷

Sophie Binet, who heads the CGT union, issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding the government scrap its proposed cuts, with the CGT calling for revisions to both the spending reductions and public-sector wage approach. Labor organizations in general have pushed back against plans to hold steady the index that determines public employees' compensation.²⁸

The 2027 budget

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was set to unveil the 2027 draft budget, built around 54 billion euros in spending cuts, of which 45 billion euros are new measures and 9 billion euros stem from existing 2026 measures. The government is targeting a deficit of 5 percent of GDP; without the measures, the deficit could approach 6.5 percent of GDP, according to Lecornu. He pointed to current geopolitical conditions and climbing interest rates as reasons France will require an extra 10 billion euros in the coming year.⁵⁶

France's national debt has risen to nearly 120 percent of economic output, far exceeding the EU-mandated cap of 3 percent on deficits. Officials lowered their projection for 2026 economic expansion to 0.5 percent, and Finance Minister Roland Lescure conceded the country would fall short of its original deficit goal. The budget also includes a 6.4-billion-euro increase in military spending, an exceptional contribution on large company profits expected to yield 5 billion euros annually, and a contribution from retirees of less than 6 billion euros.⁸⁶

Lecornu wrote to Socialist parliamentarians inviting compromise negotiations, after Socialist Party spokesperson Arthur Delaporte described the budget as a bitter austerity potion. Socialist leader Olivier Faure warned that his party would back a no-confidence motion if nothing changes, while France Unbowed's Mathilde Panot accused the government of having nothing to negotiate while intending to push the budget through regardless.⁵⁶

Political pressure on Macron

Survey after survey has registered widespread dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron and his center-right administration, which has been unable to ease the public's grievances. Because Lecornu's administration lacks a clear majority in the National Assembly, getting the budget approved presents a challenge.³⁴⁸

As the 2027 presidential contest draws closer, National Rally's far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen and France Unbowed's hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon are widely expected to advance to the runoff round, with analysts favoring Le Pen to prevail.³⁴