French education unions call new strike and protests for Tuesday, 10 November

A new call for 10 November

On Saturday, 7 November 2026, an intersyndicale bringing together pupil, student and teacher organisations called a new day of strikes and demonstrations for Tuesday, 10 November. The call was set out in a joint communiqué released through the Snes-FSU, the leading union for collèges and lycées, and written in the name of the CGT, FSU, FO, Sud, USL, Unef, Union étudiante, Fage and FSE. It follows a mobilisation held on the previous Thursday, and the statement argues that the time has come to widen the movement rather than ease off. The authors say the government is weakening and that the pressure must be maintained.

“The social movement is in a position of strength, the government in a position of weakness, and it is beginning to back down.”

Pupils and students judge the government's first responses on teaching posts, resources, school buildings and access to higher education to be insufficient. The new call follows weeks of protests, occupations and suspended school activity.

Tensions on the streets

Demonstrations were held on Saturday in Paris and other cities. Reports also describe clashes with police and riots on the fringes of marches that were mostly peaceful. One report recalls that the 17 October incidents were the most serious riots France has seen in recent years. The current mobilisation therefore builds on a period of unrest that has already disrupted schools for weeks.

The social conference at Matignon

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a social conference at Matignon, the seat of the government, on the day before the intersyndicale issued its call. The meeting is set for Monday, 9 November, and brings together unions and employers. Public-service unions are left out of that round, and the government will receive them separately on 13 November. The intersyndicale says that excluding the civil service, including national education and higher education, from talks on wages and purchasing power confirms the government's contempt.

What comes next

The Tuesday action targets staff in national education, higher education and research, alongside pupils and students. The communiqué asks for demonstrations, rallies and strikes on that day, and it calls for quick follow-up in coordination with the cross-sector intersyndicale. Its wording leaves room for further action after 10 November, though no dates beyond that Tuesday are given.

“We call for a day of action (demonstrations, rallies, strikes...) on Tuesday 10 November.”

Public-service unions will meet the government on 13 November, three days after the strike. The sources do not give expected turnout or a count of planned demonstrations, so the size of the action remains unknown.