The general strike on Thursday, November 5, 2026, is happening today. All the unions are taking part, including rail workers’ unions. In Paris, the march is passing this afternoon between Place de la République and Place de la Nation, along Boulevard Voltaire (11th arrondissement), on a route imposed by the police prefecture and approved by the administrative court on Wednesday evening. From Paris to Seine-Saint-Denis, and from Yvelines to Seine-et-Marne, the strike is affecting transport, schools and many other sectors.
Here’s what we know on the morning of Thursday, November 5, 2026: transit disruptions line by line, affected schools, cafeterias and nurseries, turnout expected by intelligence services, and the final route of the Paris march.
The movement was launched by an inter-union coalition comprising the CFDT, the CGT, FO, the UNSA and the FSU, which signed a joint statement published on October 5. Since then, the coalition has grown: according to L'Échiquier social, all trade union organizations have announced they will take part.
On Monday, November 2, Sophie Binet set the tone on franceinfo. The CGT general secretary wants to make November 5 a major day of convergence and is calling on workers to meet in general assemblies to decide whether to strike at their workplaces.
The rallying cry boils down to two demands: pay rises across the board and a revision of the 2027 budget proposal. According to France 24, the October 21 meeting at Matignon produced no measures, although a rise in the minimum wage was discussed. For the CFTC, taking to the streets is precisely what is needed to keep up the pressure and turn that opening into concrete action.
The inter-union statement denounces the downgrading of employees: fuel, food, rents and energy are all getting more expensive, while wages and pensions remain unchanged. The 2027 budget plan, which calls for €54 billion in savings, according to Économie Matin, freezes social benefits and civil servants’ pay.
The inter-union coalition puts forward seven demands:
The inter-union coalition had submitted a highly symbolic route through the heart of the capital, from Place de la Bastille to Place de la Concorde, near the National Assembly, the Élysée Palace and Matignon. On Wednesday, November 4, the Paris police headquarters banned it. According to its order, reported by franceinfo, the demonstration may take place from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. between Place de la République and Place de la Nation, along Boulevard Voltaire.
The inter-union coalition challenged this “partial ban order” in the administrative court, but to no avail. On Wednesday evening, the court dismissed its appeal and upheld the République–Nation route, ruling that the measure was neither unsuitable nor disproportionate, according to Europe 1. The march will therefore set off from Place de la République at 2 p.m. For all the details, read our article on the route for the November 5 demonstration.
A sign that the day’s events will extend beyond Paris, the CFDT is chartering coaches from Yvelines, Seine-et-Marne and Val-d'Oise to join the Paris march. Rallies are also planned in the outer suburbs, in Meaux, Nemours and Évry, and in Versailles, where a march will set off at 10 a.m. from Versailles-Chantiers station, according to Économie Matin. In Paris, FO enseignement (FNEC FP-FO) is also calling people to gather from noon at Place Jacques-Bainville (7th arrondissement), near Solférino metro station, before joining the cross-industry march.
According to a territorial intelligence report dated November 3 and revealed by RTL, the Paris march could bring together between 40,000 and 80,000 people, while between 500,000 and 700,000 demonstrators are expected elsewhere in the country. Intelligence services have classified the day as “high-risk” and fear violence in some city centers.
The situation remains tense. Following the unrest on October 17 (looting and nearly 200 arrests in Paris), a partial curfew and bans on unauthorized gatherings are in force, particularly around Place de la République, Place de la Bastille and Place d’Italie. An officially notified union march is subject to a separate procedure, but it would be best to avoid travelling or parking along the République–Nation route this afternoon.
November 5 demonstration in Paris: Route set by police confirmed
The route for the demonstration in Paris on Thursday, November 5, 2026, has now been set: the courts have settled the standoff between the union coalition and the police prefecture. Route, timings, closed metro stations: here’s what you need to know before joining the march or getting around. [Read more]
It’s the day’s biggest downside. The four representative unions at SNCF (CGT-Cheminots, UNSA-Ferroviaire, SUD-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots) have jointly called a strike on the eve of the TGV M’s inaugural journey. TGV, Intercités and TER services, as well as RER and Transilien services in the Île-de-France region, could be disrupted. Our article on the November 5, 2026 SNCF strike details the impact line by line.
The meeting on Tuesday, November 3, at the headquarters in Saint-Denis (93) failed to defuse the dispute, and the strike call remains in place. Shortly afterward, SNCF announced that TGV services would be “slightly disrupted” and Intercités, TER, RER and Transilien services “disrupted.” Transilien’s forecasts put the RER D worst affected, with only one train in three running. There will be one train in two on the RER C and lines H, N, R and U, and two trains in three on the RER E and lines J and L. The RER B will run one train in two north of the city and two in three to the south, with no change at Gare du Nord. Line P will be reduced to two trains in three between Meaux and La Ferté-Milon, while lines K and V will run normally.
On Thursday morning, SNCF confirmed that one in ten TGV trains would be canceled, with TER services severely disrupted in several regions until Friday morning. Train-by-train schedules are available on SNCF Connect and Transilien. Transilien and Île-de-France Mobilités are urging those who can to postpone their journeys and work from home today.
The service forecasts for this Thursday, November 5, 2026, SNCF strike are out for the RER and Transilien trains in Île-de-France: RER D remains the worst-affected line, while the metro is running normally. Here’s the breakdown, line by line. [Read more]
At RATP, service is running normally this Thursday on the metro, buses and trams, according to franceinfo: no strike notice specifically covering November 5 has been made public for these networks. However, the open-ended strike notice filed by CGT-RATP in late September allows employees who wish to do so to stop work that day. The public transport unions’ inter-union group also considers it “essential” to take a further step, as reported by ICI.
The RER A is running normally, as is line 14 to Orly, but the RER B, which is shared with SNCF, is disrupted, according to forecasts from RATP and Île-de-France Mobilités. One thing to watch out for: line 7 bis closes entirely at 10 p.m. tonight for maintenance, then all day from November 9 to 13. Our metro, RER and train service update, updated daily, lists station closures and disruptions.
At airports, several DGAC unions and ground staff unions are calling a strike. However, the DGAC has not asked airlines to cut any flights on Thursday at Roissy and Orly, it told TourMaG. Delays are still possible at check-in desks and security checkpoints. We cover everything in our article on the November 5 airport strike.
At the request of the prefecture, the RATP is also closing 25 metro stations from 11 a.m. this Thursday along the march route (Oberkampf, Saint-Ambroise, Voltaire, Charonne, Rue des Boulets), as well as around the National Assembly, Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Élysées and the Latin Quarter. République and Nation stations will remain open. Line 6 is also suspended between Kléber and Charles de Gaulle–Étoile. The full list is in our article on metro stations closed for the November 5 demonstration.
RATP is closing 25 metro stations in Paris this Thursday, November 5, 2026, at the request of the Paris police prefecture, amid a day of strikes and demonstrations. The march route is not the only area affected: here are the stations concerned and the alternatives for getting around. [Read more]
The day comes just after pupils return from the Toussaint holidays, and families are feeling the effects from this morning. According to the Ministry of National Education, cited by franceinfo, 17.54% of public primary school teachers are on strike this Thursday, based on advance declarations. The FSU-SNUipp puts the figure higher: nearly 80 schools closed in Paris and up to 75% of teachers on strike in some areas of Seine-Saint-Denis, according to Europe 1.
In nursery and elementary schools, if at least a quarter of teachers are on strike, the local authority must arrange a minimum childcare service, which in Paris is entrusted to the arrondissement town halls. Canteens, after-school care and municipal nurseries, however, are run by municipal staff, who are also on strike, and are not covered by any minimum service. In Paris, families are informed by the City of Paris and by the schools. In Vincennes (94), the Joseph-Clouet and Ouest nursery schools, as well as the Centre multi-care facility, are closed. In middle and high schools, Snes-FSU is calling for a major strike, and private education is also affected.
Whether schools are open, whether school meals are being served, and which daycares are closed: we break down the situation in our article on which schools, school canteens and daycares are open or closed this Thursday.
The cross-sector strike this Thursday, November 5, 2026, is affecting schools, school canteens and nurseries in Paris and the Île-de-France region. With minimum service, closures and reduced provision, here’s what families need to know. [Read more]
In the public sector, the CFDT has filed a strike notice covering state, local government and hospital employees. The FSU Territoriale, for its part, has filed a notice running from November 5 to 30, according to the Bulletin des communes. The strike is also spreading to banks, mutual insurers, doctors and pharmacists. If you need to handle administrative business or attend an appointment today, it’s best to call before setting out.
The unions will not be alone in the streets. The Yellow Vests coordination, which initiated the October 17 action, is calling for Thursday to become a “People’s November 5,” with blockade actions it is considering repeating on Friday, November 6.
On Saturday, November 7, its Act IV is set to gather at Place de la Concorde (8th arrondissement) at 2 p.m., according to the coordination group’s website, which warns that it will call for “civil disobedience” if the gathering is banned.
High school and university students also got the ball rolling. The Interfac Île-de-France committee called for a demonstration this Tuesday, November 3, outside the Panthéon (5th arrondissement), as a dress rehearsal for Thursday. Since the Louvre blockade, the student movement in the Paris region has shown no sign of slowing down.
The high school blockade continues this Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in the Île-de-France region, with a student demonstration whose Paris route has been banned by the police prefecture. The movement’s next step: the interprofessional strike on Thursday the 5th. [Read more]
The Yellow Vests are calling for a fourth day of protests on Friday, November 6, and Saturday, November 7, 2026, with strikes, blockades and demonstrations across France, including Paris. A “popular six-seven” that extends the November 5 strike. [Read more]
The timing is anything but incidental. The 2027 draft budget is being debated in Parliament, and unions are counting on street protests to influence the discussions. After the 300,000 demonstrators on September 29 and the tense day on October 17, November 5 is seen as a test: a large-scale, orderly mobilization capable of making itself heard without getting out of hand. With the CGT calling for a strike “starting November 5,” the day could also mark the beginning of a longer movement.
Our advice if you need to travel today: check the timetable for your line before each journey, as well as the stations closed around the procession. And to keep your spirits up, our ideas for things to do this week and our best deals right now are just a click away.
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November 5 demonstration in Paris: Route set by police confirmed
SNCF strike on November 5, 2026: RER and Transilien services, line-by-line forecasts
November 5 protest in Paris: 25 metro stations closed this Thursday
Strike: What’s open and closed in Paris’s schools, canteens and nurseries
High school students to protest and stage blockades this Tuesday, November 3, and Thursday, November 5
Yellow Vests, Act IV, on November 6 and 7: strike and protest—what’s planned in Paris
