Upcoming protests, strikes, disruptions?

I don't have my crystal ball, but I'll go out on a limb with an opinion: I've heard a lot of people saying it's going to be a tough year. But they don't know for sure. Maybe people are bracing themselves. Then if there are fewer interruptions to daily life, it's all the better.

For visitors: if someone has an important deadline the day after they are due to return, or your animals could be endangered if you can't get back on time, this may not be the period to come here. If people are used to having every day planned out, they need to accept change and flexibility.

One person I know will bring a computer...just in case it's necessary to do some work at a distance.

Nobody knows the answers to the above questions, but just assume "yes" so you aren't surprised. If it's all smooth sailing, all the better for you and everyone else. Join in living like a local :--)

Demonstrations and manifestations are a right, guaranteed to French citizens in their constitution. There are so many disruptions that it is impossible to determine what impact any one action might have.

No one knows if this year will be any different from any other year.

To date, only a first day of demonstrations on January 19th is officially planned by the unions (almost all).

It is very likely that other days are to be expected.

About the possible disruptions for travel, the main transport unions have not announced anything yet.

I believe that this website has up to date information on French strikes (but not demonstrations) --
cestlagreve.fr
(I hope that is correct!)
The unions are required to give, I think, 72 hours notice before any strike action so all can be prepared.
Kim and/or Bets, please correct me if this is wrong.

I am not Kim and/or Bets, but for strike information, that is the site I initially check:

https://www.cestlagreve.fr/

The strike notice is 5 days in the public sector (the majority of transport services). But there is no notice requirement in the private sector

It's likely the strikes will be less and less effective as more people realize that for them the pension changes will be beneficial, and the striking unions lose public sympathy.

The striking unions have amazingly generous retirement benefits, and they are striking against anyone else gaining.

Just a word of advice- whenever traveling - be sure and get that travel insurance! We had to use it in Italy when the air traffic controllers strike hit in the fall, and it covered all our expenses for last minute travel and hotels.

For skiers and raclette eaters, note that for January 19, strike notices were also filed by the CGT ski resort staff union.

Obviously keeping an eye on the news today. Radio France Internationale (RFI) had this interesting bit of perspective/information:

Continuing the movement?
Thursday is seen as a test by unions, who will consider whether or not to continue strikes and protests.

“The question is whether to continue the movement,” Benoit Teste, secretary general of the FSU teachers’ union, told RFI.

Long-term strikes involve a lot of commitment, but he insists on the need “to insure the participation of the largest number of people”.

A meeting on Thursday evening will determine a new strike day, most likely 26 January.

https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20230119-french-unions-hail-strong-turnout-for-protests-against-pension-reform

My niece is currently in Paris on vacation. The plan today was to go to Versailles as they have timed entry & tour at 9/9:30a. Yesterday she got email from them that opening is delayed to 10:30a today, she called to verify and they said they'll be deciding further by 10a . Anyway, they took Uber this morning, since public transport is affected by the strike. However she got the email too late this morning that the Versailles was closed. So she took it in stride, a roundtrip Uber to see the suburbs.
They're staying next to Latin Quarters area, 6th & 7th Arr and she sees the increased police presence. She doesn't see the protest crowds as they are primarily gathered in the 11th Arr, Place Republique & Place Nation.

Read a few days ago more pension-related strikes planned: today 1 day, future dates 2 and 3 days. Jan 26-27, Feb 6-8.
(Source, paywall after certain amount of website visits):
- www.thelocal.fr/20230113/calendar-french-pension-strike-dates/

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/19/business/france-strikes-retirement-age-protest/index.html

Unfortunately the Local article linked above hidden behind a paywall

Versailles is very well known for their striking - so I am sorry that your family had the misfortune of driving all the way there for nothing.

There's an archived copy of the Jan 17 Local FR article I was referring to in my previous post:

• https://web.archive.org/web/20230117205646/https://www.thelocal.fr/20230113/calendar-french-pension-strike-dates/

January 31st has been set for the next major strike.

Watching the news today, and reading a parallel forum post, I have more information towards my first two questions in the Original Post. But I'd still love local insight into the third, to the extent it is possible (I know, I know...no crystal balls!), i.e. "And how long are these kinds of actions expected to last? Is there a feeling this will be resolved in a few days? Weeks? Months?" Obviously the AP doesn't know, so consider this a request more for personal takes on the issue, rather than official answers or news. Thank you for the responses thus far.

Here's the AP link re: January 31 -- https://apnews.com/article/france-retirement-age-limit-protests-866eb86aea5cf0d39894b96d2888c26f

@History Traveler: the nuances are too complicated and involved, but from my own personal, narrow, little world, the strike had slightly less participation today than I had thought it would have. For example, 60% of elementary and high school teachers worked. I've seen strikes with more teacher participation Some transportation was running in Paris, though nothing at all where I live. But as said above, outside the route the marchers took, and just a few police deployed at public buildings, businesses were open as usual, people were out and about, fairly normal day. The rest is impossible to predict.

Just a reminder that the next day of major strikes and disruptions is tomorrow, Tuesday January 31. Among the expectations the day:
- One in three TGVs and one in five TERs are set to be disrupted or cancelled
- Metro lines and suburban trains around Paris will be heavily disrupted on Tuesday

https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/French-news/France-strikes-January-31-Travel-will-be-heavily-disrupted

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/strikes-will-disrupt-public-transport-france-tuesday-minister-says-2023-01-29/

I remind Parisian walkers that tomorrow's demonstration will leave from Place d'Italie (13th) and will arrive at Place Vauban (7th) around 7 p.m. Place Vauban is located near the Rodin Museum, the Pantheon and the Invalides.

The metro disruptions planned for tomorrow can be viewed here (in French only):

https://www.ratp.fr/en/node/15943

The Local France just posted about the next general strikes:

France’s eight main trades unions federations made a joint announcement on Tuesday night of fresh strike days – Tuesday, February 7th and Saturday, February 11th.
Tuesday marks the day that the highly controversial pension reform – which includes raising the pension age from 62 to 64 – is presented to the French parliament for the first time.
Both days are likely to see significant disruption, particularly on public transport.

SNCF has also been eyeing a second day of strikes on February 8th along with the 7th.

FYI, I'm keeping this thread going so that we can share information at a macro-level about the protests, changing dynamics, on-the-ground reactions, etc. I know Forum posts generally get started for the individual strike days as well, which is great -- more information is better! But if anyone wants to chime in with their own thoughts/expectations/predictions, I wanted to keep the door open.

So, this is very preliminary but is being reported, so I'll share. The Solidaires -- the group of trade unions that is spearheading the individual one-day strikes -- is beginning to talk about rolling, renewable daily strikes (grève reconductible) starting March 8th. As one leader put it, "...in March there will be no more holidays."

If I'm understanding the dynamics correctly [and please chime in if I'm wrong], that would mean the transportation disruptions that have happened three times now, including today, would become daily until there was a vote to not renew the strike.

Oh, and we personally land in Paris on March 7th! 🙄

Oh joy I will be there just in time for the rolling strikes. Oh well.

I'm seeing that a fifth day of strike action for public sector workers has been announced, for next Thursday Feb. 16th. We will be in Paris that day :-(. What can we expect in terms of museums being closed? We had planned to visit Saint-Chapelle, the Conciergerie, and the Arc de Triomphe that day.

@Carolyn -- I asked a similar question and @Kim gave this answer:

would watch the Twitter feeds. The Orsay Tweeted yesterday (in regard to yesterday) that only the fifth-floor Impressionists gallery and the main nave on the ground floor would be open. They also specifically underlined that the Van Gogh and post-Impressionist galleries would be closed. On the fifth, they basically did the "we can't guarantee we will be open on the 7th"

When I looked at the feeds for some smaller museums like the Cluny or the National Library, they were open on strike days, but either opened late, only had limited rooms/galleries open, or both.

If anyone knows, in the recent past (thinking of Dec 2019) when there were widespread strikes and serious rail service disruptions for Metro, regional, and TGV, were the Eurostar schedules similarly impacted?

Asking because I am looking at a trip to Paris in May, and I know that nobody has a crystal ball for that far out, but I am weighing going to London via Eurostar and just curious if it gets caught up in the rail strikes, too.

Edit: more or less found the answer, and yes, Eurostar service was impacted last month, January 19 - 20: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/eurostar-trains-cancelled-france-strike-paris-b2265101.html

The added issue is that GB rail strikes can impact Eurostar service as well.

So, first the good news -- the final vote on the reform has to be taken by March 26, which will be well before your May trip.

The bad news: The reform could pass by March 26 OR Macron could still use Article 49.3, which allows the presidency to pass legislation without a parliamentary vote. Either way, if pension reform is the law of the land, how will unions and the population respond? Ongoing protests? More strikes? A push for new elections? In other words, chaotic times are still possible even after March 26 and particularly on May 1, aka Labor Day. This where a crystal ball would be really helpful!

So, first the good news -- the final vote on the reform has to be taken by March 26, which will be well before your May trip.
The bad news: The reform could pass by March 26 OR Macron could still use Article 49.3, which allows the presidency to pass legislation without a parliamentary vote. Either way, if pension reform is the law of the land, how will unions and the population respond? Ongoing protests? More strikes? A push for new elections? In other words, chaotic times are still possible even after March 26 and particularly on May 1, aka Labor Day. This where a crystal ball would be really helpful!

I agree with your reasoning.

I was in Paris in Dec 2019 during the union protests and transit strikes that were pretty bad, and it impacted our plans a bit - metro was pretty useless, but we still had a good time, did lots of walking. For my upcoming trip, with this much up in the air, I think I will shelve the idea of going to London, stick to Paris...take the Eurostar out of the equation.

Most of the time the strikes will take place on either a Tuesday or Thursday, though lately they have also scheduled some on Saturdays. Holding strikes on other days of the week is problematic for a number of reasons, as explained here: https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/Practical/Work/Most-strikes-in-France-are-on-a-Tuesday-or-a-Thursday.-Here-s-why

So, plan accordingly!

Also, the French will never hold a strike on a Sunday, so that’s a good travel day even though public transport is on a limited schedule. Driving on the toll roads on Sundays is much easier because all the truckers take Sunday off.

We are in Bordeaux now after traveling from Lyon a few days ago. In Lyon you would barely notice the protests (maybe 100-150 people) in the main square, Place Bellecour. We were in Lyon Friday 2/3 until Wednesday 2/8. We braced for transportation strikes as we are taking trains this trip. A few disruptions occurred but 2 out of 3 metro trains were running and all the buses in Lyon. So, no real inconvenience there.
Our train from Lyon to Bordeaux went as scheduled, although a few routes had buses instead.
Here in Bordeaux we've seen larger groups along the Garonne river, probably 200-300. Last night 2/10 there was a candlelight vigil that marched to the Place de la Bourse, waving flags and beating drums. But all peaceful.
Generally speaking, the service disruptions have been minor and there are alternative routes. So far. We are on to Paris Monday where I would expect larger numbers of protestors. We shall see.

As feared: RER, metro, bus… towards a renewable strike at the RATP from March 7

https://newsinfrance.com/rer-metro-bus-towards-a-renewable-strike-at-the-ratp-from-march-7/

https://www.thelocal.fr/20230211/breaking-unions-call-paris-transport-strikes-from-march-7th/ (Might be beyond a paywall). From the local.fr article:

Unions representing workers around France had already called a one-day strike on March 7th, but unions representing workers on the capital’s RATP network have decided that their action will be ongoing....They called for “a strike that can be renewed from March 7th in order to have an even stronger impact”.

@mmebonnie That is really interesting about Sundays. I wonder if that will be true for transit in Paris if RATP follows through on their renewable strike. (Sunday March 12th would be the first Sunday of that movement.)