Paris (France) (AFP) - French unions considered the government's announcements insufficient to respond to the protests against the rise in the cost of living that shook France and called for a new day of strike next week.

First modification: 11/09/2026 - 18:47

The government of center-right President Emmanuel Macron announced an increase in the minimum wage of 1.6%, to about 1,500 euros net ($1,680).

The executive also agreed to maintain in 2027 the tax-free bonus of up to 1,000 euros ($1,120) that employers can grant to their employees in response to rising fuel costs, among other measures.

This wage increase is "the second most important in 20 years," stressed the Minister of Labor, Jean-Pierre Farandou, at the end of a "social conference" convened by the government with representatives of the unions and employers.

The leader of the first French union, CFDT, Marylise Léon, however, considered that the increase was "insufficient."

"He has announced a 23-euro increase in the minimum wage on December 1, when we know that, in principle, the minimum wage should automatically increase by 18 euros on January 1," added his counterpart at the CGT headquarters, Sophie Binet, who spoke of "crumbs."

Binet also called "all workers, retirees and young people" to a general strike on November 17, when the main unions had already called a strike in the public service.

The loss of purchasing power, in a context of high fuel prices due to the war in the Middle East, is one of the main concerns of the French, who in April and May must choose Macron's successor. The far-right Marine Le Pen leads the polls.

Last Thursday, between 575,000 and 1.6 million people took to the streets to demand an increase in purchasing power and in support of students who have been denouncing the lack of teachers and deteriorated classrooms since mid-September.

But the government's room for maneuver to respond to social demands is limited, especially when it seeks to approve a strong fiscal adjustment in the 2027 budgets to reduce the high levels of public deficit and debt.

© 2026 AFP

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