There is no doubt that France has a deserved reputation as a country whose workers are often on strike, regularly appearing at the top of league tables for strikes in the EU. This poses the question: why?
In France, and perhaps unlike the UK, going on strike and demonstrating are generally viewed as fundamental societal rights and are accepted methods of protest. Strikes are seen as playing a vital role in upholding the rights of workers, serving as a robust and effective method of demanding improvements and advocating for change such as addressing poverty or inequality and bringing about social reform. Some argue that this is rooted in the ‘tradition révolutionnaire’, the ‘Revolutionary Tradition’ with violent revolts in 1789, 1830, 1848, and perhaps even May 1968. This has nurtured a political culture in which popular protest plays a key role in driving social change. The right to strike was first enacted into law in 1864 under Napoleon III, the ‘Ollivier Law’, a key and generally respected condition which was that strikers would not interfere with non-striking colleagues.
The Bloquons Tout movement
The present strikes, led by a group called ‘Bloquons Tout’ (‘Let’s Block Everything’) is very much in this tradition. Unlike many such actions, it is a grassroots movement without a defined leadership or centralised control. Organisationally, it is similar to the ‘Gilets Jaunes’ (Yellow Vests) movement in 2018, and shares similar aims. Whereas Gilets Jaunes was a more cross-party movement, attracting support from all sides of the political divide, Bloquons Tout seems more like a movement of the Left. Both movements started spontaneously in rural areas, smaller towns and cities, organised via social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The Gilets Jaunes movement achieved some success in its aims – reducing fuel taxes and achieving an increase in the minimum wage, for example, but the movement dwindled away due to Covid and with a general lack of support for the violence perpetrated by some demonstrators.
Trailing towards austerity
The background to the Bloquons Tout movement is that like many western states, the UK included — France is spending more than she earns. As elsewhere, France has an aging population with increasing health and social care needs. This, coupled with a declining birth rate, has set the conditions for a greater reliance on immigration, which is itself unpopular. In 2023, when the pension age was raised from 62 to 64, it was estimated that 25% of the population was over 60 years old. In early 2025, French public debt stood at €3,345 billion (114% of GDP), the Eurozone’s third highest public debt (after Greece and Italy) and equivalent to almost €50,000 per French citizen. Government reports indicate that in 2025, some 9.8 million people live below the monetary poverty threshold, defined as 60% of the median monthly income, or €1,288 for a single person. Poverty has reached 15.3%, the highest since 1996, and the gap between the richest and poorest 20% is nearing levels last seen in the early 1970s. Added to this, Macron’s policies were seen as giving tax breaks to the rich, such as reducing business corporation tax and providing less generous unemployment benefits. He has been called the President of the Rich, and referred to as a Monarch.
Bloquons Tout opposes cutbacks to services and wants the emphasis placed more on raising revenues. They want a greater proportion of taxation to fall on the rich, and fewer tax breaks for companies. In particular they want no reductions in conditions for poorer people. They want the introduction of a tax proposed by economist Gabriel Zucman of a 2% annual levy on the wealth of those worth more than 100 million euros.
A government in turmoil
Facing political headwinds, President Macron had called a snap Parliamentary election in 2024 to obtain a clear majority for his policies, but that result left him in a weaker position with a parliament divided between three political blocs: the Left, the Far-Right and the centre, with no clear majority or consensus. As the Left won the majority of the votes, but not enough to form a government, Macron was expected to nominate a Prime Minister from the Left, but in January 2025, he chose François Bayrou, a centre-right politician, to the disappointment of many on the Left, many of whom refused to serve in his cabinet.
Bayrou set out to reduce annual expenditure by some €43.8 billion, arguing that the national debt was increasing by €5,000 every second. His proposed austerity budget for 2026 set out plans to achieve savings and increase revenue. Specifically, the measures included €20.8 billion in spending cuts which would be distributed across various sectors such as the state budget, government institutions, local authorities, healthcare, and the social welfare system. Bayrou proposed raising €15.9 billion in new revenue and taxes including €2.3 billion from new anti-fraud initiatives. Additionally, a ‘blank year’ policy would be imposed, in which the rates of pensions and social benefits would be frozen at 2025 levels and not adjusted for inflation. This would contribute a further €7.1 billion to the savings target. Bayrou finally proposed eliminating two public holidays (Easter Monday and the May 8th ‘Victory in Europe’ holiday) and by introducing a Wealth Tax for affluent individuals.
On September 8th, facing considerable Parliamentary opposition to his budget, Bayrou called a confidence vote, which he lost heavily with 364 votes against, 194 for, with 15 abstentions. He immediately resigned after just nine months in office, and President Macron appointed a political ally, Sébastien Lecornu, a member of Macron’s own party, Renaissance, and the former Minister of Defence as the new French Prime Minister. Lecornu is the fifth prime minister of Macron’s second five-year term as president which started in 2022, and is the third appointee in a year.
Recent strikes
The first Bloquons Tout national strike took place on 10th September, and later, with the support of trade unions, organised a second and larger mass strike on 18th September which, according to the CGT, France’s largest grouping of unions, saw 1,000,000 people take to the streets. Government estimates are about half that figure. Some 250 demonstrations took place, roads were blocked across France; barricades were erected and over 80,000 police officers and Gendarmes were deployed, with drones, water cannons and armoured vehicles.
It must be said that France presently seems to have no clear way forward out of this impasse. Prime Minister Lecornu has said he will address Parliament in the coming days, and has promised a clear break with the past politics, but presently no details of his plans have emerged. Many argue that Lecornu will be unable to break the deadlock, that he is too close to Macron, and that he lacks the political ability to change things. However, were Lecornu to continue with Bayrou’s plans, or to modify them insufficiently, it is likely the protests will grow. Were key unions to join in more fully, then transport and travel would be affected with trains, flights and ferries cancelled, motorways blocked, and tourist attractions closed. This could be impactful on British visitors to France in the run up to Christmas.
What’s next?
Emmanuel Macron is approaching the end of his second five-year term as President and will leave office on 13 May 2027. Constitutionally, he cannot present himself for election for a third consecutive term but would be eligible to do so in 2032, and he has expressed a wish to do so. However, reports indicate that some 76% of French citizens want President Macron to resign now, and that 56% would like the National Assembly, France’s Parliamentary lower house, to be dissolved with new elections held.
A budget for 2026 must be agreed within the coming weeks, even though the political parties are in clear disagreement. Against this political uncertainty, France’s present social and fiscal problems are unlikely to be resolved in the short term.
Further nation-wide strikes have been announced for Thursday 2nd October, again with Union support, and although it remains to be seen how much traction their protests will gain, the impact is likely to be significant.
It appears that Bloquons Tout will be around for some time yet.
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