Aline Leclerc

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'Block Everything': While September 10 movement echoes the Yellow Vests, it also has key differences

While the call to 'block everything' on Wednesday, September 10, brings to mind the Yellow Vest protests of 2018, the choice of a weekday, the involvement of unions, and the support of left-wing parties give this social movement its own distinct character.

Published on September 7, 2025, at 5:25 pm (Paris), updated yesterday at 12:41 pm Aline Leclerc

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'Block Everything': Anger in France is deep, but mass strikes appear unlikely

The choice of a Wednesday for the planned September 10 protests raises questions about who has the option to strike, especially as labor disputes in French workplaces have been particularly rare in recent years.

Published on September 4, 2025, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated yesterday at 12:42 pm Aline Leclerc

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To fight fires from the air, France has only 12 Canadair planes, which are 'an average of 30 years old'

Every summer, the issue of wildfires and firefighting resources resurfaces. France's aerial fleet − both limited and aging − is overdue for renewal, but progress has stalled due to a lack of funding.

Published on July 12, 2025, at 3:41 am (Paris) Guy Dutheil Aline Leclerc

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Five years after Covid, France's 'essential workers' have been forgotten

In 2020, the government said it aimed to better recognize 'essential' jobs – generally grueling, poorly paid and offering no real prospects for advancement – which had helped the country continue functioning during the pandemic. Yet the changes these workers hoped for did not come.

Published on March 21, 2025, at 4:00 am (Paris), updated on April 25, 2025, at 11:06 am Aline Leclerc Noa Moussa

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How working conditions weigh on electoral choices

The deterioration of working conditions is a determining factor in abstention and the protest vote, according to experts and French voters Le Monde spoke to over the last few years.

Published on July 1, 2024, at 8:17 pm (Paris), updated on July 1, 2024, at 8:58 pm Aline Leclerc

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PFAS: Firefighters have a 'front row seat' for contamination by 'forever chemicals'

Traces of PFAS, some of them carcinogenic, were found in the hair of all firefighters tested as part of a screening conducted by their unions and France's Green party. They are particularly exposed through firefighting foams and their waterproof outfits.

Published on May 29, 2024, at 6:48 pm (Paris) Aline Leclerc Stéphane Mandard

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'I feed you and it's killing me': French farmers on why they are blocking roads

From Brittany to Alsace, from the north to the southwest, Le Monde's reporters met farmers who spoke of the same problems: low incomes for demanding and increasingly complex work, and above all, a loss of meaning and recognition.

Published on January 25, 2024, at 12:45 pm (Paris), updated on January 26, 2024, at 9:00 pm Aline Leclerc, Alexandre Lenoir, Philippe Gagnebet, Anne Mellier, Audrey Sommazi, Hélène Pommier, Jordan Pouille, Benjamin Keltz, Frédéric Zabalza, Claire Mayer and Eric Collier

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Macron looks to boost growth and liberalize France's labor market, again

The president wants to make it a priority to simplify administrative processes for businesses. He's also looking to tighten unemployment compensation rules.

Published on January 18, 2024, at 4:00 am (Paris) Aline Leclerc Thibaud Métais

Synthèse Subscribers only

Hyperinflation wave recedes in Europe, leaving household budgets in tatters

Eurozone inflation has finally dropped to 2.4% in November. However, its effects over the last two years have slashed living standards, in an unprecedented decline since the 1970s, leading to major changes in consumer habits.

Published on December 11, 2023, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on December 11, 2023, at 6:13 am Eric Albert, Cécile Boutelet, Allan Kaval, Aline Leclerc and Jean-Pierre Stroobants

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Victims of the recent riots, shopkeepers in one French town are slowly getting back on their feet

Six days after the unrest that damaged some 60 stores, the time has come to assess the damage in Montargis, in central France not far from Paris. Some are back in business, albeit under difficult conditions, while others have to rebuild everything.

Published on July 9, 2023, at 8:45 pm (Paris) Aline Leclerc

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French businesses in crisis yet again after damage and looting

With the retail sector still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, potential losses of 'more than a billion euros' could not have come at a worse time, for local shopkeepers and multi-national chains alike.

Published on July 5, 2023, at 5:30 am (Paris), updated on July 5, 2023, at 8:43 am Juliette Garnier, Laurence Girard, Aline Leclerc and Cécile Prudhomme

Feature Subscribers only

Beauvais residents are bitter after riots: 'We fight to have businesses, and now it's all burned'

As in many parts of France, businesses and public services were vandalized during nights of unrest in Beauvais, a city 75 kilometers north of Paris, much to the disappointment of residents.

Published on July 3, 2023, at 3:45 am (Paris), updated on July 3, 2023, at 7:48 am Aline Leclerc

News

In 2005, three weeks of rioting shook France after the deaths of two teenagers

After the deaths of Zyed Benna and Bouna Traoré in an electricity substation, the resulting riots across France led to a state of emergency in November 2005.

Published on June 29, 2023, at 10:46 am (Paris), updated on June 29, 2023, at 11:21 am Aline Leclerc

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French wages continue to lag behind inflation

Labor Ministry statistics for the first quarter show that wages are lagging behind prices by an average of 1% year-on-year.

Published on June 19, 2023, at 3:17 am (Paris), updated on June 19, 2023, at 8:13 am Aline Leclerc

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Southwestern French city's industrial heritage rekindled by war in Ukraine

After three takeovers in five years, the Forges de Tarbes could benefit from the global demand for shells and emerge from its slump. But the industrial challenge before it is immense.

Published on May 30, 2023, at 5:30 am (Paris) Aline Leclerc

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In France's Oise region, a life marred by inflation

For months, 'Le Monde' has been following home helper Amandine Batelier alongside her spouse and three children to tell the challenges of her daily life amid soaring food and energy prices.

Published on May 28, 2023, at 5:30 am (Paris) Aline Leclerc Agnès Dherbeys

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Pension reform: The difficulty in examining the protest movement's economic impact

Few companies are communicating the impact and cost associated with the over three-month-long protest movement.

Published on April 29, 2023, at 12:26 pm (Paris) Aline Leclerc, Sophie Fay, Adrien Pécout and Guy Dutheil

Long Read Subscribers only

French pension reform: Three months of nationwide protests

The movement against the French government's pension reform project has been strong since the first marches on January 19. A final ruling on the bill by the Constitutional Council will be delivered on Friday.

Published on April 13, 2023, at 12:59 pm (Paris), updated on April 13, 2023, at 2:08 pm Aline Leclerc, Alexandre Lenoir, Benjamin Keltz, Jordan Pouille, Richard Schittly, Gilles Rof, Philippe Gagnebet, Corentin Lesueur and Pierre Bouvier

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Opponents to French pension reform block garbage collection amidst workers requisitions

The requisitioning of garbage collectors has posed a new challenge for the opposition, yet blockades of refineries and incinerators have persisted with the participation of demonstrators from all sectors.

Published on March 28, 2023, at 5:28 am (Paris), updated on March 28, 2023, at 9:57 am Aline Leclerc

In Depth Subscribers only

French pension reform: 'You break your back, your arms, everything! But it's not considered hardship'

The system of taking into account the difficulty of working conditions in calculating retirement is a central concern of those striking against France's proposed reform.

Published on March 7, 2023, at 5:25 am (Paris), updated on March 7, 2023, at 5:25 am Aline Leclerc Romain Geoffroy

News analysis Subscribers only

Pension reform ignores promises made during lockdown

Raising the retirement age by two years as wanted by the government particularly penalizes 'second-line' workers. Yet President Macron had promised them greater recognition during lockdown.

Published on February 19, 2023, at 10:11 am (Paris) Aline Leclerc

In Depth Subscribers only

In France, minimum wage adjustments have outpaced basic salaries

Only employees paid the minimum wage have seen pay changes commensurate with price increases since October 2021, the Labor Ministry said in a study.

Published on February 4, 2023, at 11:47 pm (Paris), updated on February 5, 2023, at 10:53 am Aline Leclerc

News analysis Subscribers only

French fuel strikes prove how difficult it is to define 'fair' wages

Oil giant TotalEnergies managed to sway public opinion by evoking the high salaries of some of its employees, as strikes blocked French refineries.

Published on October 28, 2022, at 5:10 pm (Paris) Aline Leclerc

News

Strikes run out of steam at TotalEnergies sites in France

On Thursday morning, only one fuel depot and one refinery were still on strike.

Published on October 20, 2022, at 3:23 pm (Paris), updated on October 20, 2022, at 3:23 pm Aline Leclerc Richard Schittly

Long Read

Nationwide demonstrations for higher wages show mixed results in France

Between 100,000 and 300,000 people demonstrated across France on Tuesday. The number is still relatively small, suggesting that the real battle hasn't yet begun.

Published on October 19, 2022, at 11:00 am (Paris) Thibaud Métais Aline Leclerc Bertrand Bissuel

News analysis Subscribers only

Over the past year, inflation has triggered more frequent strikes

Prior to the ongoing industrial action in France, two waves of strikes, in late 2021 and early 2022, also demanded higher wages.

Published on October 15, 2022, at 5:10 pm (Paris) Aline Leclerc

In Depth

Fuel shortages: Do striking TotalEnergies refinery workers earn €5,000 a month?

The figure, presented by TotalEnergies, seems closer to the salary of a very experienced refinery operator than to that of an average employee.

Published on October 14, 2022, at 5:54 pm (Paris), updated on October 14, 2022, at 5:54 pm Romain Geoffroy Aline Leclerc

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Why salary negotiations failed at French oil refineries

Despite meeting with TotalEnergies heads for the first time since strikes began three weeks ago, the CGT union decided to carry on with its industrial action.

Published on October 13, 2022, at 6:15 pm (Paris), updated on October 13, 2022, at 9:14 pm Aline Leclerc

News

French government orders striking oil workers back to work amid fuel shortages

The government opted to requisition staff at Esso-ExxonMobil oil refineries, and could apply the same measure at TotalEnergies facilities.

Published on October 12, 2022, at 12:55 pm (Paris), updated on October 13, 2022, at 9:55 am Claire Gatinois Marjorie Cessac Aline Leclerc

News

French rail unions call for a strike on July 6 for an urgent increase in wages

A roundtable discussion is scheduled for that day between the management of the state-owned railroad company and the unions.

Published on June 26, 2022, at 11:50 am (Paris), updated on June 26, 2022, at 11:59 am Aline Leclerc Eric Béziat

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Confronted with inflation, French workers are calling for wage rises

Supported by trade unions, conflicts are emerging in French companies every week affecting all sectors, from SMEs to multinationals.

Published on June 22, 2022, at 4:43 pm (Paris), updated on June 22, 2022, at 5:17 pm Aline Leclerc, Jordan Pouille, Florence Traullé and Audrey Sommazi

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With inflation rising, part of France tightens its belt

A number of indicators allow us to measure, beyond the official statistics, how soaring prices are affecting the daily life of households, from housing to transportation, to food shopping and going-out habits.

Published on June 9, 2022, at 7:55 pm (Paris), updated on June 10, 2022, at 8:14 am Aline Leclerc, Véronique Chocron, Juliette Garnier, Cécile Prudhomme, Jean-Michel Normand, Isabelle Rey-Lefebvre and Anne Rodier

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France voices its anger through blank and void votes

More than three million people cast blank or void ballots on Sunday, April 24, during the second round of the 2022 presidential election. This is an expression of growing defiance among citizens and a rejection of the Macron-Le Pen repeat match.

Published on April 26, 2022, at 9:02 pm (Paris), updated on May 24, 2022, at 12:20 pm Béatrice Gurrey, Camille Bordenet, Denis Cosnard, Eugene (Oregon), envoyé spécial, Philippe Gagnebet, Benjamin Keltz, Gilles Rof, Lucie Soullier and Aline Leclerc