French Workers Strike for Higher Wages in Paris (+Video)

More than 100 demonstrations took place throughout France on Thursday, as several French unions called for a strike to demand an increase in wages, pensions and scholarships.

The protest was called for by various unions, including the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), and will be held in multiple French cities.

In its press release, the CGT calls in particular for a "general increase in salaries in the private sector and salaries in the public service, starting with the lowest salaries".

In Paris, the demonstration took place from the Place de la République.

According to ConnexionFrance, Inflation rates were at 3.6% in February, according to national statistics institute Insee, which predicts that they will have reached 4% by the end of this month amid the conflict in Ukraine. It could then go up to 4.5% between April and June.

If the government had not placed a cap on household energy tariffs, Insee estimates that inflation rates could have gone as high as 5% by February.

The current rates mean that the buying power of an average French household fell by 1.4% in the first quarter, but “inflation bonus payments offered robust support to household revenue around the end of 2021,” said Insee’s Julien Pouget.

The government announced earlier this week that the index used to calculate civil servant pay will be reevaluated, but this did not push the unions to call off the strike. The government did not outline how much salaries would increase, and unions have since called for the “immediate launch of negotiations” and pay rises of at least 4%.

President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement of his intention to raise the French retirement age to 65 if reelected may also fuel more protests.