France’s lower-house law-committee sent a strong signal to employers and travellers on 17 January by approving a draft law that would cap authorised strike days in publicly-owned transport companies to 30 per year. The centrist-backed text, supported by Les Républicains and the Rassemblement National, obliges unions and operators such as SNCF, RATP, Air France-KLM and major airport authorities to negotiate a rolling ‘black-out’ calendar covering peak periods—school holidays, exam weeks, large trade fairs and international sporting events.
Background: France already requires eight days’ written notice before a walk-out and imposes a minimum-service clause on passenger rail. Yet rail and metro stoppages still cost an estimated €400 million in lost productivity annually and undermine the country’s attractiveness for mobile talent and international events. Olympic-year data showed 62 strike days at SNCF alone, forcing thousands of business-traveller re-bookings. Lawmakers argue the new ceiling preserves the right to strike while guaranteeing “predictability essential to economic life.”
Practical implications: If enacted, HR travel managers would gain a clear annual view of ‘protected’ travel windows, enabling them to schedule board meetings, client visits and expatriate relocations with less contingency. The bill also mandates a binding two-week mediation phase before any new strike once the 30-day quota is hit—a clause designed to push disputes towards arbitration rather than walk-outs.
![French MPs Approve Draft Bill Capping Annual Strike Days in Transport Sector]()
Employer perspective: Paris-based aerospace group Safran told VisaHQ it spends about €2 million a year on last-minute hotel rooms and taxi vouchers during rail stoppages; it expects that figure to fall by half if the quota becomes law. Unions, for their part, have vowed to challenge the text in the Constitutional Council, calling it a “sharp restriction” on social rights.
For companies juggling expedited relocations or visitor stays during these tighter, more predictable windows, VisaHQ can also remove visa red tape. Its France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) lets mobility teams and individual travellers arrange Schengen, work or transit permits online, while the advisory desk monitors upcoming strike calendars so documentation is finalised well before any potential disruption.
Next steps: The bill is fast-tracked and will reach the National Assembly floor in early February. With cross-party backing and public opinion fatigued by frequent disruptions, observers see a high probability of passage before the Easter recess. Corporate mobility teams should already map 2026 travel and assignment start dates against the prospective 30-day limit and adjust service-level agreements with relocation vendors accordingly.
Background: France already requires eight days’ written notice before a walk-out and imposes a minimum-service clause on passenger rail. Yet rail and metro stoppages still cost an estimated €400 million in lost productivity annually and undermine the country’s attractiveness for mobile talent and international events. Olympic-year data showed 62 strike days at SNCF alone, forcing thousands of business-traveller re-bookings. Lawmakers argue the new ceiling preserves the right to strike while guaranteeing “predictability essential to economic life.”
Practical implications: If enacted, HR travel managers would gain a clear annual view of ‘protected’ travel windows, enabling them to schedule board meetings, client visits and expatriate relocations with less contingency. The bill also mandates a binding two-week mediation phase before any new strike once the 30-day quota is hit—a clause designed to push disputes towards arbitration rather than walk-outs.
Employer perspective: Paris-based aerospace group Safran told VisaHQ it spends about €2 million a year on last-minute hotel rooms and taxi vouchers during rail stoppages; it expects that figure to fall by half if the quota becomes law. Unions, for their part, have vowed to challenge the text in the Constitutional Council, calling it a “sharp restriction” on social rights.
For companies juggling expedited relocations or visitor stays during these tighter, more predictable windows, VisaHQ can also remove visa red tape. Its France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) lets mobility teams and individual travellers arrange Schengen, work or transit permits online, while the advisory desk monitors upcoming strike calendars so documentation is finalised well before any potential disruption.
Next steps: The bill is fast-tracked and will reach the National Assembly floor in early February. With cross-party backing and public opinion fatigued by frequent disruptions, observers see a high probability of passage before the Easter recess. Corporate mobility teams should already map 2026 travel and assignment start dates against the prospective 30-day limit and adjust service-level agreements with relocation vendors accordingly.
