France: Public sector unions mobilise for pay, public services, and education
A broad coalition of trade unions has called on French public service workers to take part in strike action and demonstrations on 29 September 2026 in defence of better pay, good working conditions, and quality public services. The mobilisation takes place on the eve of the presentation of the 2027 budget proposal and amid renewed austerity plans in France.
For the trade union organisations – the Fédération syndicale unitaire (FSU), the Confédération générale du travail (CGT), Force Ouvrière (FO), the Confédération française démocratique du travail (CFDT), the Union nationale des syndicats autonomes (UNSA) and Solidaires, among others – the budget cuts foreseen risk further weakening an already beleaguered public service sector.
In a joint statement released on 3 September 2026, the unions warned of “new constraints on public services, as well as on pay and working conditions” for public sector workers, insisting that “other choices are possible”, choices based on social justice, tax justice, and a fairer distribution of wealth.
The trade unions also stressed the vital role that public services play in tackling social, climate, and health crises. Following a summer marked by extreme heatwaves, drought, and wildfires, they emphasise that strengthening the capacity of public services to meet people’s current and future needs has never been more necessary.
Public education on the front line
For the education unions, the budget announcements are particularly troubling. While pay has been stagnating for years, needs within schools continue to grow.
The unions emphasise that inclusive education, teacher replacement, class size reduction, and school refurbishments require substantial public investment.
They also point out that the education system is struggling with major challenges: teacher shortages, a lack of specialist staff, buildings ill-equipped for heatwaves, and persistent inequalities in access to quality education.
Austerity budget rejected
In a statement released on 23 September, the FSU denounced the direction of the future budget, with the headline: “54 billion reasons to strike on 29 September!”. According to the federation, the government plans to make savings of 54 billion euros and to press on with its policy of cutting public and social spending rather than mobilising more tax revenue.
The FSU points out that the hardest hit by these measures will be public sector workers, pensioners, local authorities, and the public services on which the whole of society depends. It also condemns the continued freeze on the pay index, which is steadily eroding public workers’ purchasing power.
“This latest provocation cannot, therefore, go unchallenged,” says the federation, calling for mass mobilisation to secure “different budgetary and fiscal choices”.
“What profession would agree to being poorer every year?”
For Julien Farges, Vice President of the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) – Education International’s (EI) regional organisation in Europe – the demands put forward by the French unions echo the realities faced in many European countries.
“In France, wages have been frozen for far too long: 13 years of pay freezes since 2010! And this will yet again be the case in 2027. Between 2021 and 2026 alone, prices rose by 15.5%, while wages rose by just 5%. Originally intended as an emergency measure, the freeze on public service workers’ pay has become an intolerable norm. What profession would agree to getting poorer every year?” he argues.
He also highlights the direct impact of austerity measures on education personnel:
“Working more exhausting hours just to lose less. That’s the reality behind budget austerity. Teachers in France work an average of 41 hours and 30 minutes a week. Many have to put in more overtime or combine various jobs just to make ends meet, and this impacts on their health and their personal lives.”
The challenges go far beyond France’s borders, which is why the ETUCE is calling for a reform of EU budgetary rules to enable member states to invest more in public education and teaching staff: “We are calling, for example, for a reform of the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact. The 3% limit needs to be relaxed to allow member states to invest in public education and teaching staff. This was done during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is currently being done for defence spending. Why shouldn’t the same be possible for education?”
Farges points out that the recruitment difficulties and the teacher shortages in Europe are not inevitable:
“The causes of teaching staff shortages are well known and well documented. With the United Nations 59 Recommendations on the Teaching Profession and the Santiago Consensus, the solutions are too. Politicians must have the courage to implement the measures needed. If they don’t, it is up to the trade unions to push them to do so. Today, the message is clear: end austerity and raise pay without conditions!”
He concludes by pointing out that “one of the keys to protecting democracy in Europe is ensuring quality public education for Europe’s young people”.
Go Public: a shared struggle across the globe
Education International stands in solidarity with the nationwide day of action held on 29 September in France.
The demands raised are in line with those of education unions worldwide. The mobilisation led by France’s unions clearly echoes EI’s Go Public! Fund Education campaign. This global campaign calls on governments to invest in public education as a fundamental human right and a critical public good. It underlines that quality education depends, first and foremost, on sustainable investment in education staff, schools, and the public services that support communities. It opposes austerity policies that undermine the ability of education systems to ensure equal opportunities and success for all students.
