Up to 30% of public primary school teachers could go on strike on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 to protest against job cuts and class closures and demand a salary increase, the SNUipp-FSU announced on Monday. The mobilization will be “very uneven depending on the departments,” said Aurélie Gagnier, the general secretary of the primary union, during a press conference of a national education inter-union. Paris, Gironde, Aude, and Yvelines “are announcing a strong mobilization” in public schools, she added.
FSU, Unsa, CFDT, CGT, and SUD have called for a week of actions starting this Monday, with a national day of strike on Tuesday, to amplify the ongoing mobilization across the country since the beginning of the year against short-term budget choices that worsen the degradation of an already “exhausted” public education service, they claim.
4,018 positions according to the inter-union
The inter-union denounces the removal of 4,018 positions in primary and secondary education next school year. “Demographic variables cannot be the main compass for choices regarding resources for national education,” they denounced in a statement.
Between 2019 and 2029, nursery and primary schools will have lost more than a million students, as reminded by Minister Édouard Geffray in January 2026. “We need to cushion the effects of demographic decline, by closing as few schools as possible, limiting the number of students per class, and at the same time, start a reflection to rethink the educational offer in the territory,” he urged during a visit to Lyon.
The unions also point out that the upcoming budget does not plan for “any creation of positions for CPE” (head education counselor) or AED (education assistant) “even though the issues of school climate are increasingly evident.” They also regret the lack of salary index adjustment.
