France experienced its largest multi-sector walkout since the summer on 4 December as CGT, Solidaires and FSU unions protested planned 2026 budget cuts. SNCF trimmed TGV and Intercités frequencies while RATP warned of highly irregular service on RER B, the lifeline between central Paris and Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY) airports.
Although the civil-aviation authority stopped short of invoking minimum-service rules, the knock-on disruption was severe. Travel-risk consultancies clocked door-to-door journeys of up to 90 minutes from La Défense to CDG—double the norm—as ride-share demand spiked and taxi queues lengthened. Adept.Travel advised passengers to build a four-hour buffer between train arrival and flight departure.
![Nation-wide public-sector strike snarls rail and Paris RER links to CDG]()
Beyond transport, the strike closed hundreds of schools, slowed hospital outpatient clinics and blocked key boulevards as marches swept through Paris. Business travellers reported missed client meetings and delayed onward rail connections to Brussels and London.
Union leaders warn that further stoppages are likely if the draft budget— which eliminates 4,000 teaching posts—is not amended. Mobility managers are updating assignment letters to include “strike clauses” covering extra accommodation, per-diems and project delays for assignees travelling through French hubs this month.
Although the civil-aviation authority stopped short of invoking minimum-service rules, the knock-on disruption was severe. Travel-risk consultancies clocked door-to-door journeys of up to 90 minutes from La Défense to CDG—double the norm—as ride-share demand spiked and taxi queues lengthened. Adept.Travel advised passengers to build a four-hour buffer between train arrival and flight departure.
Beyond transport, the strike closed hundreds of schools, slowed hospital outpatient clinics and blocked key boulevards as marches swept through Paris. Business travellers reported missed client meetings and delayed onward rail connections to Brussels and London.
Union leaders warn that further stoppages are likely if the draft budget— which eliminates 4,000 teaching posts—is not amended. Mobility managers are updating assignment letters to include “strike clauses” covering extra accommodation, per-diems and project delays for assignees travelling through French hubs this month.
