France awoke on Tuesday to its biggest multi-sector walkout since the summer, as the CGT, Solidaires and FSU unions staged a 24-hour strike to protest planned budget cuts and the elimination of 4,000 teaching posts. For mobility managers, the immediate headache was transport: SNCF confirmed reduced frequencies on key TGV and Intercités routes, while RATP warned of irregular service on the Paris RER B—vital for access to Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY) airports.
The DGAC stopped short of activating minimum-service rules for air-traffic controllers, but ground access to airports faced knock-on delays as suburban trains, trams and shuttle buses ran on skeleton timetables. Travel advisory firm Adept.Travel urged passengers to build at least four hours between train arrivals and flight departures and recommended booking hotels within walking distance of major stations such as Gare du Nord or Denfert-Rochereau.
![Nation-Wide Public-Sector Strike Disrupts French Rail and Paris Transit on 2 December]()
Beyond transport, the strike closed scores of schools, slowed hospital outpatient services and triggered large marches that blocked bridges and boulevards in central Paris. Business travellers reported journeys of up to 90 minutes from La Défense to CDG—double the usual time—as taxi and ride-share demand surged.
While the action is officially limited to 24 hours, unions say further stoppages are possible if the 2026 budget retains planned staff cuts. Companies with assignees in France should monitor contingency dates and remind employees of alternative routes, including regional airports and long-distance coaches. Travel-risk teams are also flagging the potential for spontaneous road closures during protest marches.
In the longer term, the walkout underscores labour volatility heading into 2026, the year before France’s presidential election. Global mobility managers may need to build strike clauses into assignment letters and allocate bigger buffers in travel schedules to protect project timelines.
The DGAC stopped short of activating minimum-service rules for air-traffic controllers, but ground access to airports faced knock-on delays as suburban trains, trams and shuttle buses ran on skeleton timetables. Travel advisory firm Adept.Travel urged passengers to build at least four hours between train arrivals and flight departures and recommended booking hotels within walking distance of major stations such as Gare du Nord or Denfert-Rochereau.
Beyond transport, the strike closed scores of schools, slowed hospital outpatient services and triggered large marches that blocked bridges and boulevards in central Paris. Business travellers reported journeys of up to 90 minutes from La Défense to CDG—double the usual time—as taxi and ride-share demand surged.
While the action is officially limited to 24 hours, unions say further stoppages are possible if the 2026 budget retains planned staff cuts. Companies with assignees in France should monitor contingency dates and remind employees of alternative routes, including regional airports and long-distance coaches. Travel-risk teams are also flagging the potential for spontaneous road closures during protest marches.
In the longer term, the walkout underscores labour volatility heading into 2026, the year before France’s presidential election. Global mobility managers may need to build strike clauses into assignment letters and allocate bigger buffers in travel schedules to protect project timelines.
