Impact on appointments: French hospital staff are on strike today
Four major unions call for strike in response to 2025 budget
Unions are also calling for wage increases and better working conditions
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Public healthcare staff in France will go on strike today (October 29) in response to the 2025 Social Security budget, which unions say does not sufficiently fund the sector.
Four major unions – the FO, CGT, UNSA, and SUD – back the motion and have called on staff to strike and to join demonstrations being held in major cities, including a protest outside the Assemblée nationale in Paris between 13:00 and 17:00.
Staff in public hospitals, including administrative staff alongside nurses and doctors, are being called to strike, as well as workers in the medico-social sector (such as care workers).
Unions are also calling on patients to join demonstrations where possible.
Hospitals will still be staffed – as minimum service rules apply in sectors deemed necessary for the functioning of the state – but waiting times may be longer and non-urgent appointments cancelled.
If you have an appointment at a hospital today, you can check it is not disrupted by contacting the clinic in question.
Public healthcare being ‘strangled’
The unions have called for the day of strike action largely in response to the 2025 budget, which they believe will weaken the public healthcare sector.
The CGT said the budget included “socially regressive measures” in the field of healthcare, including reduction in state coverage for medical appointments to 60% (down from 70%).
Unions believe this measure should be removed from the budget.
The unions are calling for an increase in public funding for hospitals, which they say are being “strangled” by a lack of funding, as well as an immediate end to the closure of hospital beds.
You can read a joint statement from the unions here.
In addition, the unions say staff are frustrated with conditions, and are calling for:
Pay increases, and wage equality between men and women
A recruitment drive in the sector
An end to exemptions on Social Security charges on certain businesses and high-level staff (that they say could bring in €25 billion per year)
Read more: Strikes in France in October 2024 and how you may be impacted
