Overview

• Eight unions said they will reconvene to quickly set a new national action if the prime minister does not respond by Wednesday, September 24.
• Sébastien Lecornu pledged to meet unions again and said protesters’ calls for social and fiscal fairness are central to his ongoing consultations.
• Union leaders demand scrapping the entire 2026 budget plan, including doubled medical copays, a so‑called année blanche, 3,000 public‑sector job cuts, unemployment insurance changes and the May 1 holiday proposal.
• Authorities counted more than 500,000 demonstrators nationwide versus over one million claimed by the CGT, with disruptions across schools, transport and pharmacies.
• The Interior Ministry reported 309 arrests and 134 in custody after some incidents in several cities, as Lecornu’s earlier retreat on cutting two public holidays left major contested measures unresolved.