France calls national and rail strike for 5 November, risking gridlock on the roads

Five French unions — CGT, CFDT, FO, Unsa and FSU — have called an inter-professional strike for 5 November 2026, against the €54 billion of cuts planned in the 2027 budget. The call covers public- and private-sector workers, pensioners and young people. CFE-CGC is the only major union not joining.

On the same day, the four main SNCF rail unions — CGT-Cheminots, UNSA-Ferroviaire, SUD-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots — are calling their own national strike, with a rally already set for 3 November in Saint-Denis. No detailed service plan yet, but the French press already warns that TGV, Intercités, TER and some Paris-region trains may be disrupted.

Impact for drivers

Fewer trains running tends to push passengers onto the road — specialist outlet L’Automobiliste already expects the French road network to be saturated that day. For anyone hauling freight or passengers across France on 5 November, that adds to the risk of delays on motorways and on approaches to major cities, Paris above all.

The date falls in an already tense week: the “yellow vest” movement, which mobilised the country on 17 and 24 October — see today’s alert — has called another day of protest for 31 October too, and some groups within the movement are already talking about joining 5 November with a “general strike” and renewable blockades. For now, there is no confirmation of a single coordination between the two movements.

For hauliers leaving the Iberian Peninsula

Anyone planning to cross France on 24 or 31 October or on 5 November should expect occasional delays, traffic filtering and, on that last date, heavier traffic around major cities because of the rail strike. No motorway closure is confirmed so far for any of these dates — we will update this article and /en/traffic if that changes.