French hospital staff announce a second strike in July

A leading union has submitted strike notice for workers at public hospitals, covering a week-long period later this month, after a first round of strike action ended on July 4.

The health worker’s branch of the CGT (Confédération Générale du Travail) filed a motion covering the dates July 12 - July 18.

It is applicable to staff at public hospitals, the Etablissement Français du Sang (blood donation organisers), and workers at private hospitals who partially engage in the public sector healthcare.

Scheduled appointments with any of the services above during strike days may be impacted, and it is recommended to call the relevant ward or office closer to the date, to check you have not been affected. 

As hospitals are classed as a necessary public function, a minimum level of service must be provided during strike periods. 

However, unlike for some other public services, healthcare workers do not need to make public how many people are striking prior to taking action, meaning the exact level of disturbances may not be known, and will change on a day-by-day basis.

In addition, ‘striking’ healthcare workers often still continue to tend to patients, but engage in action in other ways, such as disrupting hospital administration. 

Read more: UPDATED: Strikes in France in July 2024 and how you may be impacted

Demands remain unchanged

The notice – which you can view on a downloadable document here – contains the same demands and requests as those given for the last round of strike action at public hospitals, held between June 28 and July 4. 

Major demands include: 

• Stopping further closures of 24-hour A+E services

• Preventing any more hospital beds from being closed, and re-opening previously closed spaces 

• A creation of local healthcare centres, particularly in rural areas 

• Equipping of local hospitals with facilities for the elderly, and improve at-home care for sick elderly people 

The union is also calling for an improvement to working and pay conditions for staff. These include: 

• A minimum wage of at least €2,000 gross per month for all medical staff

• The end to merit-based pay

• A recruitment drive, employing an extra 200,000 staff in Ehpads [elderly care homes] and 100,000 more in hospitals 

• More permanent (CDI) contracts for healthcare staff 

• Early retirement for some healthcare workers

Read more: Letters: patients face six-month wait to see doctor in parts of France