The trade unions in France are leading strikes on Thursday (Oct 2) to continue mounting pressure on newly elected Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. The strikes are being held to get the new French PM to consider budget cuts and impose a new wealth tax on the rich in France. The strikes are follow-up to the September 18 action by the trade unions to oppose the taxes which led to the fall of Lecornu’s predecessor François Bayrou. The new PM, who was elected on September 9, is yet to announce the government.
The trade unions are demanding tax and social justice in France. They had led demonstrations on September 18, which saw 500,000 to 1 million people taking part, according to figures from police and trade unions. Aurelie Gagnier, the co-general secretary of the FSU-SNUipp education union, told France Info: “The workers we meet support the need for more tax justice and social justice and recognise the need for a budget that addresses schools’ needs.”
Lecornu will be meeting with the Socialists on Friday (Oct 3) after rejected a proposal to impose 2 per cent tax on France’s 0.01 per cent wealthiest people. The new PM has the momentous task of coming up with France’s 2026 budget as the first job after being elected as the Prime Minister. He is considered a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron and is expected to make his first speech in the Parliament next week, with a government announcement to follow soon. Lecornu has said that he aims for a budget deficit of about 4.7 per cent on GDP in 2026 in comparison to the forecast of 5.4 per cent for this year.