The 2025 back-to-school season was marked by the call, in the middle of
summer, to "block everything" on September 10th to oppose the austeritybudget. The inter-union movement, divided over how to respond to this
call, called its own date, September 18th, at the end of August. UCL
activists and militant unionists worked to coordinate the two dates to
create a broad balance of power. The "Let's Block Everything" call
resonated widely with the public starting in mid-July. This call, widely
shared on social media, had origins that were difficult to trace,
multifaceted, and partly immersed in conspiracy theories and confusion.
The parallel with the Yellow Vests was quickly drawn, and with it the
possibility of a broad mobilization beyond the usual activist circles[1].
During August, trade union organizations debated internally whether or
not to support the movement. On August 27, following the lead of some of
its professional federations such as Sud Rail, the Solidaires union
issued an unambiguous call to support the movement and to strike on
September 10 to block the economy. On the same day, but a notch lower,
the CGT called for "debates with employees and to build the strike[on
September 10]wherever possible" in preparation for the inter-union
return to work date. This was announced two days later by the
eight-member inter-union[2]: it would be September 18.
Block everything, methodically
The parallel with the Yellow Vests was ultimately hasty. Following the
visible involvement of the far left, with the media-hyped support of LFI
and then other left-wing parties, and later Solidaires and the CGT
(General Confederation of Labour), the Block Everything movement firmly
anchored itself on the left. The risk of infiltration by the far right
was eliminated, but this clear left-wing anchorage also made it more
difficult to spread.
In many cities, the Block Everything general assemblies (GAs) preceding
September 10 were enthusiastic and determined, but sometimes spontaneous
and disorganized, and the connection with trade unions was often
difficult. However, these real difficulties in mobilizing and building
the strike should be considered in light of the numerous requests
received by trade unions from non-unionized workers preparing to go on
strike for the first time in their lives.
The mobilization of union teams at Block Everything general assemblies
and in workplaces was uneven. Some saw the 10th as a march before the
18th; for others, the 18th was simply an attempt by the CFDT to break
the popular momentum surrounding the 10th, and everything had to be
focused on the 10th. Solidaires displayed unanimous support for the
10th, but within the CGT and FSU, some professional or territorial
organizations viewed the date with caution, even disdain.
On D-Day, most of the Block Everything blockades were severely repressed
by the police. But many "filtering" actions lasted all day. Strike rates
were relatively low, even though some sectors such as the railways were
heavily impacted. Demonstrations and rallies took place in many cities,
with the participation of the CGT and Solidaires helping to organize
them. Two pleasant surprises: on the one hand, high school and
university students are strongly mobilized and taking to the streets; on
the other, the number of people in the demonstrations is significant,
250,000 in the streets according to the CGT (General Confederation of
Trade Unions). Unionists are already looking ahead to the 18th. In some
places, Block Everything general meetings continue to take shape.
Elsewhere, they are failing. Overall, Block Everything is struggling to
follow through.
It's back to 2023.
The traditional social back-to-school period of the CGT-FSU-Solidaires
fighting bloc is therefore this year replaced by a day of mobilization
called by the eight-member inter-union. Unsurprisingly, more than half
of this inter-union does not want to be associated with September 10th.
On the contrary, for some Solidaires or CGT unions, the 18th is already
a funeral for the 10th, and the inter-union should have called for the
11th and not the 18th. For others, nothing is ready for a large-scale
social movement so early in the year. The week between the 10th and the
18th has little in the way of a strike.
The 18th was nonetheless a success, with a level of mobilization
reminiscent of the fight against pension reform in 2023. "More than a
million people demonstrated," according to the CGT. Once again,
students, high school students, and college students turned out.
However, the demonstrations were more impressive than the strike rates.
Outside of historically well-organized sectors with high unionization
rates, and therefore easier to mobilize (education, RATP and SNCF,
energy, etc.[3]), strikers are a minority.
Young people are mobilized for this social back-to-school period, as
seen here at the blockade of the Saint Charles high school in Marseille
on September 11.
UCL Marseille
The memory of the leapfrog strikes of 2023 is strong[4]. Yet, raising
the question of the strike and its continuation at the grassroots level,
in workers' general meetings, is rarely an issue. The question of
continuing on the 19th or after the next national interprofessional date
is, however, raised in some sectors, but without much success.
Counting the leapfrogs?
The Block Everything movement persists, but seems incapable of taking
new unifying steps. Repression is hitting hard at the blockades. The
ball is now in the inter-union's court, which is issuing its "ultimatum"
to the new Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, for September 24th. While
we can expect him to try to unseat the right wing of the inter-union,
there's no guarantee he'll succeed. The employers, led by MEDEF (French
employers' federation), are on tenterhooks. As at the end of the
laughable episode of the pensions conclave, they refuse to concede
anything... even to the CFDT (French employers' federation).
In any case, victory cannot come solely from appeals from above. As 2023
has shown, without grassroots self-organization, without a proliferation
of sectoral initiatives, without a truly tough, lasting, and widespread
strike, the government is turning a blind eye and waiting for the
protests to peter out on their own. And beyond the paralysis of
production, we must also maintain and strengthen ties with youth
organizations, supporting them in their mobilization, honestly and
without paternalism. Their mobilization is a positive aspect of this
early movement, on which we must build.
Libertarian communist unionists
Image: AL 364 - syndicalisme - lycees.jpeg Source:
Validate
[1]Also read "Back to School: Let's Fight Back Against the Bourgeois
Offensive," Alternative libertaire No. 363, September 2025.
[2]CGT, CFDT, FSU, Solidaires, CFE-CGC, UNSA, CFTC, and FO.
[3]See also "September 18: Demonstrations and Strikes Grow," Rapports de
force, September 18, 2025.
[4]See also "Defense of Pensions: Pedometer Explodes, Strike Meter
Mixed" and its report, Alternative libertaire No. 340, July-August 2023.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Bloquons-tout-et-l-intersyndicale-Une-rentree-sociale-sur-les-chapeaux-de-roues
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