Symbolic imageUnions and ministry dispute size of French cost-of-living protests as PM calls social conference
Unions say 1.6 million people marched across France against living costs, far more than official counts. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will receive unions and employers on Monday.
Under a deployment of 70,000 police officers, marches took place in cities nationwide on Thursday, 5 November. The CGT counted 350,000 marchers in Paris, the Interior Ministry 65,000; nationally the ministry's figure was 575,000 according to Le Monde and 600,000 according to FAZ. FAZ notes that despite school and metro disruption it was not a general strike. Reuters reported a last-minute change of location for the G7 ministerial.
Wage demands
CFDT leader Marylise Léon called for a minimum-wage rise of 100 euros net a month, and FO's Frédéric Souillot for 2,000 euros gross. CGT leader Sophie Binet welcomed the government's plan to lift the minimum wage beyond the January 2027 increase but called an extra 0.5 or 0.6 percent insufficient.
Budget rejected
The same day, the National Assembly rejected the revenue side of the government's draft budget, with 458 of 460 deputies voting against and two abstaining. FAZ says Lecornu's minority government has hardly any room to negotiate.
Violence at school protests
Near Toulouse, protesting pupils set a school building on fire, FAZ reports. In La Courneuve, a 16-year-old was injured with a knife at the neck during a school blockade, and police arrested a 20-year-old suspect.