In a joint statement, the CFDT, CFE-CGC, CGT, FA, FO, FSU, Solidaires and UNSA unions said: “We urgently need to open negotiations to improve career prospect and take general measures to improve pay, in particular by raising the index point, at a time when public sector pay levels are collapsing.”

The inter-union group wishes to “put an end to the spiral of stigmatisation and devaluation of all civil servants”.

Mobilisations will take place across the country. In Paris, the march will start at 2pm, departing from the Luxembourg Gardens.

Unions representing civil servants are calling for “an immediate 10 percent increase in the value of the index point, and the recovery of purchasing power lost since January 2000”.

School staff are set on strike this Tuesday in primary schools, collèges (secondary/middle schools) and lycées (high schools). In some areas, such as the Loire-Atlantique, they are expected to remain closed through to the end of the week.

🗣️📣Où manifester le mardi 19 mars ?
💪Plus de 120 rendez-vous prévus !
➡️Carte des manifestations et rassemblements : https://t.co/fAxS4yiI3S #Grève19mars #EducationEnColère pic.twitter.com/vid8c6nrud

— SNES-FSU (@SNESFSU) March 16, 2024

Meanwhile, school canteens may not provide lunches and parents will be obliged to provide a picnic lunch, while creches and day-care centres may remain closed. 

In France, primary school teachers must give 48 hours notice before walking out, while secondary school teachers are not required to give any notice.

Independent nurses will also be on the streets this Tuesday, with rolling road blockades (operation escargot) organised in Caen (Calvados), Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine) and Montpellier (Hérault).

The Syndicat National des Infirmiers et Infirmiers Libéraux, which represents self-employed nurses, has demanded an increase in fees for their services, some of which have not increased since 2009, reimbursements for business expenses, including fuel for travel, and have called for greater efforts to improve working conditions.

There are 5.7 million public sector (fonction publique) workers across France.