French unions announce fresh day of strikes after talks with PM Lecornu collapse

French unions will hold another nationwide day of strikes and protest on 2 October after talks with France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

"The Prime Minister did not provide any clear answers to the expectations of workers. It’s a missed opportunity," said trade union CFDT leader Marylise Léon, speaking on behalf of the inter-union coalition.

Union leaders who met with Lecornu on Wednesday said they were frustrated by his reaction to their last day of protest on 18 September.

Appointed just over two weeks ago as France's fifth prime minister in less than two years, Lecornu still has yet to form a government or finalise next year's budget.

"What we are waiting for is a precise response, not polite listening," said CGT General Secretary Sophie Binet before entering the talks.

More than 500,000 people protested across France on 18 September against the government's austerity measures, according to French authorities.

Trade unions have claimed that more than one million participated in the strike.

At that time, unions issued an ultimatum to Lecornu: abandon the pension age increase, scrap unemployment benefit reforms, stop planned cuts to 3,000 civil service jobs, and bury the draft budget prepared under former Prime Minister François Bayrou.

Pressure mounting on Lecornu

As social tensions mount, Lecornu has tried to set his own agenda. Last Friday, he announced the creation of an initiative dubbed "Effective State", tasking two senior civil servants with continuously proposing measures to streamline public administration.

According to the Prime Minister’s office, the goal is to make state structures "simpler and more effective".

Lecornu has already confirmed the shutdown of three inter-ministerial delegations and a freeze on all government communications spending until the end of the year.

He also confirmed he would abandon Bayrou’s controversial proposal to cut two public holidays and said he planned to end "lifetime" benefits for former prime ministers.

But the pressure is not only coming from unions. Business organisations were scheduled to meet Lecornu on Wednesday afternoon.

France's largest employer federation, Medef, has announced an "enormous rally" of employer groups.

According to French newspaper L’Union, the date has been set for 13 October in Paris.

More than two weeks into his tenure, Lecornu has yet to form his cabinet.

But French President Emmanuel Macron defended him on French TV, saying the prime minister "is right to take his time" in putting a team together.

Time, however, may be running out. With unions promising a new day of action on October and employers mobilising for mid-October, Lecornu finds himself caught between two fronts.