November 2007 strikes in France
Starting on 13 November 2007, a wave of general strikes hit France, mainly in the public sector. The protests were over President Nicolas Sarkozy’s and Prime Minister François Fillon’s plan to cut early retirement for about 500,000 public workers. Sarkozy argued pension reform was necessary and a test of political will; unions said the plan attacked workers’ rights. The government says the current system lets some public workers retire as early as age 50 after 37.5 years, instead of 40, and that these early retirements cost about $7 billion a year.
On the first day, rail workers (SNCF) and Paris Metro staff began striking. Only a small portion of trains ran. Paris Metro operated at about 20% capacity and buses at around 15%. Some lines were less disrupted, leading to questions about how broad support for the strike really was. About 30% of Gaz de France and Électricité de France workers walked off the job, cutting national electricity production by about 8,000 MW (around 10%), though there were no power outages. The Opéra National de Paris canceled performances. Some universities protested against private funding of universities, and protesters at the University of Nanterre were removed by police. A Le Figaro poll suggested about 70% of people thought the strikes were unjustified. Employment minister Xavier Bertrand held talks with unions and offered a month of negotiations within state agencies to lessen disruption while keeping pension reform non-negotiable.
By 14 November there were some improvements in transit, but the main Métro lines remained shut and other lines ran at 20–50% capacity. About 150 of 700 TGV trains were operating.
On 18 November, demonstrations in Paris brought together groups supporting reform and opposing the strikes, with thousands taking part.
By 20–21 November, more civil servants joined the strikes, including teachers, postal workers and printers (who were also protesting printer industry reorganizations). Air-traffic control workers caused flight delays, and overnight fires damaged about 30 kilometers of track. Both sides condemned the sabotage.
On 21 November the CGT called for an end to the strikes as talks began with the government. An opinion poll suggested about two-thirds of French people were against the strikes, and the economy was said to be losing about €400 million per day (SNCF: about €100 million daily). Around 23% of SNCF staff and 16% of RATP workers were still on strike, with Paris train and Metro services running at well below normal levels.
By 21–22 November, the number of striking workers continued to fall, and talks continued between the government and unions. After further talks, 42 of 45 union committees voted to stop the strike, and RATP and SNCF announced almost normal service for 23 November, with public transport running at about 70–100% of normal levels. Talks were expected to last about a month. Additional strikes were planned by telecom workers and bankers.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:28 (CET).