"Something is really on the rise": transport, education, roads... What to expect on September 10?

Will France really be at a standstill on September 10? With just a few days to go before this day of mobilization, which has been announced for several weeks, it's difficult to answer the question. The social movement, which started on social media and therefore outside of traditional organizations, is "plural," Murielle Guilbert, the co-general delegate of the Solidaires union, whose organization called for the strike on Wednesday, September 10, acknowledged to Libération . This makes it rather unclear in its demands— hostility to the Bayrou budget , purchasing power, the demand for the introduction of the RIC, the citizens' initiative referendum , etc.—as in its possible actions.

While Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau says he is convinced that there will be "no large-scale movement , " he still expects "spectacular actions." Territorial intelligence also recognizes the difficulty of anticipating what this "horizontal" movement will lead to, where "everyone does what they want" in a context of "discontent and anger," according to a security source quoted by AFP. "What we feel is that something is really rising. There is clearly a momentum on this September 10 that we haven't felt for months in terms of social anger," the unionist adds.

From the energy sector to education, transportation, and banking, Libération takes stock of what we know so far about the disruptions to be expected.

Mobilization in the rail sector is expected to be fragmented. While SUD rail, the third-largest railway workers' union at the SNCF, called for a strike on September 10th in mid-August, the others are focusing primarily on the following week. The CGT cheminots (General Confederation of Railway Workers), the UNSA ferroviaire (National Union of Railway Workers), and the CFDT cheminots (National Federation of Railway Workers), which together accounted for 70% of the vote in the last professional elections, called for a strike on September 18th ... which SUD rail has not yet joined. Only the CGT cheminots (National Union of Railway Workers), which has long procrastinated, is currently calling for a double strike—on September 10th and then 18th.

In the airline industry, the situation is similar. While the SNCTA, the majority union among controllers, is calling for a strike on September 18th to "fully catch up with inflation" in terms of wages, SUD aérien, which represents all staff in the sector, is calling for a strike and the blockade of airports on the 10th. As for the National Union of Airline Pilots, the leading organization in the profession, it has not yet called for participation in either movement. At Air France, the CGT is planning a strike call for the 10th and the 18th... while FO and the CFDT are only targeting the 18th.

Metros running at full capacity but RER trains slowing down? A few days before September 10, only one RATP union announced its participation in the social movement: La Base. This union, which is the majority among RER drivers, declared on Facebook that it was "completely in phase" with the movement's demands and deplored the fact that "the central unions are not included in the September 10 mobilization in order to concentrate the impact of a dead day of general strike." Without, however, announcing any concrete actions.

The fact remains that La Base could find itself alone on Wednesday: the four main unions in the Paris transport authority (CGT, FO, Unsa Mobilité and CFE-CGC) have called for a strike on September 18. Contacted by Libération, the RATP has not yet made any predictions about the disruptions. They should be published early next week.

It's difficult to know what to expect on the roads on September 10. While the unions representing highway workers have not called for a strike, several groups, particularly on social media, have already expressed their intention to disrupt traffic on certain major highways or strategic locations. According to some messages posted on social media, "free toll" operations could take place in several locations. When contacted, the Vinci group did not respond to our requests for comment.

Blockades or roadblocks could be installed at certain roundabouts, as was the case with the yellow vests. The Paris ring road also appears to be a target. "We know there will be blockades. But we don't talk about them too much, to achieve the expected element of surprise, and because not all of them are initiated by unions," explains Murielle Guilbert of Solidaires.

Taxi drivers, who have put a stop to their long-standing protests, could also demonstrate under the windows of the Ministry of Labor in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, according to Le Monde .

Bruno Retailleau has already ordered the prefects to mobilize the police to prevent any "attempt to block infrastructure essential to the life of the Nation."

CGT Mines-Energie, electricians, gas workers, EDF employees, chemical workers... In the energy sector, there are numerous calls for mobilization on September 10. Several mobilizations could be organized, such as blockades of refineries, incinerators, or oil depots. This could even lead to a drop in the country's energy production.

CFE Energies, however, refused to participate in the movement, referring to September 18. The reasons, according to a press release published on September 3: demands that were not specific enough and a lack of "clear proposals to negotiate."

This is one of the possible actions that is frequently discussed on social media in connection with September 10th: that of taking a comprehensive attack on the French economy. Many are calling for a "credit card strike," sometimes for a day, sometimes even longer, to put pressure on banks by forcing them to lose the commissions charged on each payment. Others are calling more generally for a consumer boycott, from stores to major e-commerce platforms. Or even for "free shopping cart" operations. It is impossible at this time to know if these calls, which elude any organization, will be followed.

Schools Blocked Wednesday? The Union Syndicale Lycée (USL) has called for a blockade of schools on September 10 and hopes to "build the mobilization over time," denouncing a policy that is "destructive" to education. LFI MP Louis Boyard, former president of the Union Nationale Lycée (the former name of the USL), also calls for blockades in high schools and universities. However, there is no guarantee that students will follow suit, especially in universities that are still in the pre-back-to-school period.

On the teachers' side, Sud éducation, the Snes-FSU, and certain FSU-Snuipp federations are calling for a mobilization on Wednesday. Contacted Thursday, the Ministry of Education assured that it currently has "no visibility" on the scale of the expected mobilization. Administrative employees have up to 48 hours to notify their superiors of their intention to participate in the strike. The movement could be more widely followed on September 18 in schools.