French Unions Warn Premier Lecornu of New Strikes

(MENAFN) French labor organizations issued a stern warning on Friday, cautioning newly appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu of further industrial action following a day of protests opposing contentious fiscal plans.

"The ball is now in the Prime Minister’s court. If he does not respond to their demands by September 24, the trade union organizations will meet to quickly decide on a new day of strikes and demonstrations," stated a unified declaration from the CGT union.

Hailing the "success" of the September 18 protest actions, unions emphasized that the response was "not enough."

They are calling for the total removal of the budget package, equitable taxation, sufficient financial allocations for essential public services, robust welfare provisions, and a halt to proposed changes that would increase the statutory retirement age to 64.

Additional demands include tying the €211 billion ($247 billion) in public subsidies for private firms to both social and environmental benchmarks.

They also advocate for funding a fair green transformation, reviving domestic industry, and introducing safeguards against mass redundancies.

"The success of September 18 puts workers in a position of strength. The trade union organizations have already agreed to meet regularly to take all necessary initiatives to put the budget debate under pressure from the working world and finally achieve social justice," the declaration continued.

Union groups assert that over 1 million citizens participated in Thursday’s nationwide demonstrations, whereas the Interior Ministry reported a turnout closer to 500,000.

Officials confirmed that 309 individuals were apprehended, with 134 held in custody, and 26 members of the police and security forces sustained injuries.

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