75,500 demonstrators in France according to the Ministry of the Interior, 170,000 according to the CGT

Place Beauvau counted 195 gatherings throughout France, at the call of the CGT, the FSU and Solidaires.

Between 75,500 people, according to the Ministry of the Interior, and 170,000, according to the CGT, demonstrated throughout France on Tuesday, October 1, to demand the repeal of the pension reform, an increase in wages and the preservation of public services. In total, Place Beauvau recorded 195 actions, notably in Toulouse (3,500 demonstrators), Nantes (2,900), Marseille (2,800), Rennes (2,800), Lyon (2,700), Grenoble (2,400), Bordeaux (2,200) and Montpellier (2,000).

These gatherings were held at the call of the CGT, the FSU and Solidaires, joined by several youth organizations (Student Union, Unef, Fidl or High School Union). Unlike the united battle against pension reform, the CFDT, FO, CFE-CGC, CFTC and Unsa did not join the mobilization. “It seemed premature to us to respond to this call. (…) A mobilization, to be effective, must have very targeted demands”underlined Marylise Léon, general secretary of the CFDT, in the daily West France.

For comparison, the last mobilization on wages, in October 2023, brought together between 92,500 demonstrators in France, according to the police, and 200,000, according to the CGT. “It’s a mobilization worthy of days of action of this type”nuanced Sophie Binet, general secretary of the CGT, from the Parisian procession, also worried “to note in the workplace a great democratic and social fatigue among employees”.

National Education recorded 6.08% of strikers among teachers, a low participation rate. On the transport side, traffic was “normal” for TGVs. Only some slight disruptions were noted for certain regional and Intercity trains. Tuesday morning, some Parisian high schools were blocked. Around a hundred high school students marched in the Latin Quarter, with banners like “Barnier, it’s not square”.

The unions’ ambition was to put a little more pressure on the Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, who revealed his priorities to the deputies, during his general policy declaration, after receiving the social partners last week.