ZURICH, November 04 (AJP) -France is bracing for a nationwide strike on Thursday over rising prices and government spending cuts, and neighboring Switzerland moves to punish rioters involved in unrest inspired by French protests.
The developments show how anger over household bills is spreading across borders, taking the form of organized industrial action in France and smaller, sometimes violent gatherings elsewhere.
France’s five main labor unions have called the Nov. 5 walkout to demand higher wages and pensions, better-funded public services and changes to the government’s draft budget for 2027. Trains, schools and public services are expected to be disrupted, with more than 200 street demonstrations planned outside Paris, according to the General Confederation of Labor (CGT).
In Switzerland, prosecutors have issued unconditional prison sentences of six and four months to two young men involved in Halloween riots in Zurich. The unrest followed social media calls citing rising rents and health insurance costs and sharing images of street battles in France, police said.
The French strike brings together the CGT, the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT), Workers’ Force (FO), the National Union of Autonomous Unions (UNSA) and the Unitary Union Federation (FSU).
Their main target is a draft budget containing about 43 billion euros in public spending savings. Unions say the measures would weaken public services and household incomes already squeezed by fuel, food, housing and energy costs rising faster than wages.
They are seeking an increase in the national minimum wage and higher taxes on wealth, inheritances and company dividends.
All four main unions at state-owned railway operator SNCF have joined the strike. High-speed services are expected to face limited disruption, while regional trains and commuter routes around Paris are likely to be harder hit.
The Paris metro, buses and trams are expected to operate normally. Disruption is forecast on the RER B commuter line, which connects central Paris with Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Many schools may close or provide only basic childcare. Hospitals will maintain emergency services, and no flight cuts had been announced as of Tuesday.
The walkout follows weeks of demonstrations. About 320,000 people marched across France on Oct. 31, according to the Interior Ministry, down 22 percent from a week earlier. Police arrested 779 people.
Students have also blocked high schools and universities to demand more education funding. The government said 51 of France’s 184 universities and other higher education institutions were disrupted on Tuesday morning. A fourth consecutive Saturday of nationwide protests is planned.
In Zurich, several hundred people gathered near Piazza Cella in the Langstrasse nightlife district at about 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, mixing with Halloween revelers.
Groups set fire to rubbish containers, a car, electric bikes and e-scooters. They smashed shop windows and a tram stop and hurled fireworks, bottles and stones at police.
Officers used water cannons, pepper spray and rubber bullets. Calm returned at about 1:30 a.m., according to city police.
During the unrest, a police patrol responding to a call to help a seriously injured teenager came under attack and had to withdraw before reaching him. Police did not say whether his injury was linked to the riots. Smaller clashes also took place in Basel.
The two Swiss men, aged 19 and 21, were sentenced for offenses including rioting, violence and threats against police, property damage, trespassing and covering their faces during a public gathering.
Prosecutors used penal orders, a procedure allowing them to impose sentences without a court trial. The orders are not final: either man can object within 10 days and have the case considered by a judge.
Police said the unauthorized Zurich gathering followed calls circulated by far-left groups after events in France. The violence was unusual for Switzerland, a country of about 9 million people known for political stability and a system of direct democracy.
- Tags: France, strike, CGT, CFDT, FO, UNSA, FSU, SNCF, Sébastien Lecornu, 2027 budget, minimum wage, cost of living, protests
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