The unions announce another day of strike and protests in France, putting pressure on the new prime minister
Protest at Marseille. Photo: Miguel Medina / AFP / Profimedia
The French trade union organizations announced the strike and protests on October 2 to put pressure on the new prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, in relation to their requests to cancel the austerity fiscal program of his predecessor, reports Reuters.
The trade union leaders who met Lecornu on Wednesday said they were not satisfied with the way the prime minister responded to the protests on September 18, attended by hundreds of thousands of people.
“The prime minister did not provide any clear response to the workers' requests, so for unions is a missed opportunity. It is not linked,” said Marylise Leon, CFDT chief, the largest union in France.
A little more than two weeks since Lecornu became the fifth prime minister named by President Emmanuel Macron in less than two years, the 39 -year -old official has not yet been able to form a government, nor to create a budget project for 2026. He must face a divided parliament.
“It was a great presence on September 18 and we have to increase it again on October 2,” said Sophie Binet, from the CGT union, describing the meeting on Wednesday as a missed opportunity in which Lecornu did not take any clear commitment.
After being appointed prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu was rarely seen and heard in the public space. Instead, he had a series of discussions with party leaders and trade unionists in an attempt to get some support.
Prime Minister's message after meeting with unions
The prime minister's office stated in a statement after the meeting on Wednesday that Lecornu is “fully aware of the concerns and anxieties of the workers in the country, to which appropriate answers must be found.”
For this purpose, the statement is shown, Lecornu will send in the next few days a letter to unions and employers, asking them to contribute to aspects that vary from financing social protection, economic sovereignty and working conditions.
Prime Minister Lecornu and President Macron are pressured, on the one hand, by the protesters and left parties that oppose the budget discounts, and on the other hand by the worried investors. None of the three main groups in Parliament has a majority.
In 2024, France's budget deficit was almost double compared to the 3% EU ceiling. The new prime minister will have a fight to get a parliamentary support for a 2026 budget.
His predecessor, Francois Bayrou, was dismissed by Parliament on September 8 due to his plan to reduce public spending by 44 billion euros. Lecornu has not yet said what he would do with Bayro's plans.
