A nationwide strike starts in France partially affecting the national railway company

Описание: (5 Nov 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Paris - 5 November 2026
1. Wide of train station
2. Close up of SNCF sign alerting commuters that train service is disrupted
3. Various of commuters walking through station
4. Close up of sign
5. Wide of train at a standstill
5. Various of commuters walking through station
STORYLINE:
A nationwide train strike is underway in France on Thursday, as trade unions join protests, partially disrupting services operated by SNCF, the national railway operator, along with other public services.

Signs at Paris train stations alerted commuters to the partial disruption in services.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets later Thursday to demand higher wages and action to address affordability and rising food costs.

Many schools could be closed as teachers have also joined the strike.

High school and university students are also expected to join demonstrations to protest poor conditions in schools.

After more than a month of regular, large-scale protests across France, major rallies are again expected in Paris, Lyon and Marseille, with hundreds of thousands of people likely to turn out.

In a joint statement, France’s main unions warned that the country is on the brink of recession and that layoff plans are multiplying.

“Fuel, food products, rent, gas, electricity … everything’s going up except wages and pensions,” they said.

France is mired in debt and is among Europe's worst economic performers, along with Italy and Belgium.

The unions put President Emmanuel Macron’s government and employers on notice.

“Anger is immense,” they said. “The situation in this country is fragile. The pressing social and environmental challenges must be addressed without delay.”

Ahead of the strike, the government had been negotiating with unions — a familiar scenario in French politics — in hopes of limiting the unrest, which has resulted in France’s worst civil unrest in years.

The movement began with a protest over staff shortages at a high school southeast of Paris in September and spread nationwide, attracting students demanding more education funding and workers seeking help with soaring fuel and other costs.

AP video by: Nicolas Garriga
Production by: Jeffrey Schaeffer

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