Although there are no standardized statistics allowing for proper comparison between different countries, France is often considered the champion of strikes abroad. However, while we might consider that France is indeed the scene of unequalled waves of strikes, the phenomenon is not specific to France, and has occurred in many other countries. Therefore, according to the historian Stéphane Sirot, the originality of France is not to be found in the very existence of these movements but rather in "their recurrence, their scope and their strong resonance".
Strike, privileged weapon of the working class
Strikes in France have a long history, and have played a crucial role in shaping the political and economic landscape of the country. Important social progress took place at the end of the 19th century: in 1884, the Waldeck-Rousseau law authorized professional unions, in 1892, the working hours of women and children were limited to 11 hours per day, and in 1898 a special regime was created for victims of work accidents. These legislative developments occurred in the context of massive mobilizations of workers, whose unions made the strike a privileged means of making demands: realizing that they formed a group and that they had the potential to stop the production machine, workers used the strike as a major political weapon.While strikes initially occurred in factories and became an essential tool of conflict for workers, they gradually spread to all employees, especially after the Second World War. In 1946, the right to strike was included in the preamble of the Constitution of the Fourth Republic.
Since then, strikes have often been the expression of conflicts embracing the whole country. Among the most notable, for instance, are the 1936 movement, leading to the Matignon agreements, the student demonstrations and general strikes of May 1968, the strikes against the "Juppé plan" of 1995, or more recently, the Yellow Vests movement, appearing in October 2018 following the announcement of an already unpopular carbon tax increase, or mobilizations within refineries in 2022.
Strike actions, however, have tended to decline since the late 1970s, as workers are not only less likely to be confronted with a strike, but also less likely to engage in one.
A decline in unionization
Despite a diverse union landscape (there are five representative unions in France), union membership has been steadily declining over the past years. In 1949, nearly one-third of employees were members of a union, while seven decades later, only ten percent were. Today, this rate is one of the lowest among OECD countries. This phenomenon is notably the expression of a low level of confidence of the French towards labor organizations, and of the rather negative image associated with them, even if their role in achieving social progress is widely recognized. The decline of unions may also reflect a French union culture that is essentially based on demands and confrontation - in contrast to some countries that favor consensus - creating a climate of mistrust between unions and employers that is not conducive to negotiations.Companies and strikes
In 2020, 1.2 percent of companies had reported at least one day of strike action in France, which was the lowest rate recorded in the last 15 years. A peak was reached in 2010, when 3.6 percent of businesses experienced at least one strike day. In 2020, the number of days not worked due to strike action as a proportion of the workforce was 67 days per 1,000 employees.Companies most affected by strikes are those operating in the industry and transport sectors. In 2020, 2.8 percent of companies in the transport and warehousing segment had declared at least one day of strike action, as did 2.3 percent of companies in the industry sector.
In addition, the larger the size of the company, the more likely it is to experience a strike. In 2020, 23.64 percent of businesses with more than 500 employees reported at least one day of strike action, up from more than one-third the previous year.
