France Today: 9 November 2026

Unions and student groups are preparing another day of strikes on Tuesday, while the government holds a “conférence sociale” with unions at Matignon today. Rising prices for food and energy are also changing how people across France shop, eat out and heat their homes.

Strikes, protests and transport disruption

Paris prepares for Tuesday’s strike and marches

In Paris, several unions representing teachers, secondary school pupils (“lycéens”) and university students have called for strikes and demonstrations on Tuesday 10 November. Student organisations say their march will start from Bastille. Parents should expect disruption at schools, and anyone in the city should allow for a large protest in the east of central Paris.

Source: France 3 Paris Île-de-France

Education unions promise to keep up the pressure

Education union leaders said on Sunday they would keep up pressure on the government, after a fourth wave of protests. Student organisations have called for another nationwide day of strikes and demonstrations on Tuesday, so the disruption is not limited to the capital.

Source: RFI

Saturday protests end in clashes in the capital

In Paris, police clashed with some protesters on Saturday as thousands of people demonstrated across France against the government. Turnout was lower than in previous weeks, but the clashes show the protests can still turn tense.

Source: The Local France

Unions bring their demands to Matignon

The government is holding a “conférence sociale”, a formal meeting with unions and employers, at Matignon, the Prime Minister’s office. The “intersyndicale”, the joint front of the main unions, says it will not stop mobilising until it gets a “response to the demands made over several weeks”. According to franceinfo, the public sector (“fonction publique”) is not represented at the talks.

Source: franceinfo

Students describe the strain of university blockades

Two students, Lohann and Samuel, describe what the university blockades are doing to their mental health. They support the protest movement, but they also feel isolated and worry about passing their academic year. International students may recognise the same pressures.

Source: franceinfo Société

Cost of living

Paris employers want something back for a higher minimum wage

In Paris, Bernard Cohen-Hadad, president of Les Entrepreneurs Paris Île-de-France, says that raising the SMIC, France’s legal minimum wage, would also push up other salaries. Before the conférence sociale, he called for lower taxes on businesses in return, such as lighter charges on jobs for young people or an end to the freeze on reductions in employer contributions. What employers ask for will shape any wage deal that comes out of the talks.

Source: franceinfo Économie

Half-price fruit and vegetables for Savoie students

In Annecy and Chambéry, the association “Légumes et cagettes rebelles” sells crates of fruit and vegetables at half price to students of the Université Savoie Mont Blanc. The scheme has run for ten years, but demand has grown sharply as the cost of living has risen.

Source: France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

An 11-euro lunch in Avignon

In Avignon, one restaurant has offered an 11-euro menu, coffee included, since 2 November 2026. More and more restaurants are offering these “anti-crisis” menus to keep customers coming in, while rallies against the high cost of living are spreading across France.

Source: France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

Shoppers reach for the bottom shelf

A France Télévisions team spoke to people who are struggling to cover their spending and bills, and asked what they expect in the coming months. Many now look to the bottom shelf for “marques repères”, the supermarkets’ own-label brands.

Source: franceinfo Économie

Heating goes on later as energy bills rise

With gas, electricity and heating oil bills rising, colder weather is a worry for many households, and some are putting off turning on the heating for as long as they can. In a recent survey, 72% of households said they were cutting back on their energy use.

Source: franceinfo Économie

What it means for foreign residents

• If you live in or are travelling through Paris on Tuesday, expect a student march starting from Bastille and plan your route around it (France 3 Paris Île-de-France).
• Parents may want to check with their child’s school whether classes will run on Tuesday, as teachers’ and pupils’ unions have called a strike (France 3 Paris Île-de-France).
• International students at universities affected by blockades may want to keep in touch with their faculty about the academic year (franceinfo Société).
• Students at the Université Savoie Mont Blanc can buy half-price fruit and vegetable crates from “Légumes et cagettes rebelles” in Annecy and Chambéry (France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes).

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