French Booksellers Stage First National Strike Over Pay
Employees of French bookshops held their first national strike on September 8, demanding higher wages and a better collective agreement.
Employees of French bookshops went on strike on September 8. It was the first national work stoppage for the profession, organized by the CGT Commerce and Services Federation and joined by the Sud Culture Solidaires book trades branch. They are demanding higher salaries and an improved collective bargaining agreement.
This location is where branch negotiations are held between the French Booksellers' Union (SLF) and representative organizations. About thirty people took turns participating in the morning, joined by booksellers coming to gather information.
Salaries, Collective Agreement, and Value Sharing
At the heart of the demands are the revaluation of wages deemed too low and a collective framework considered insufficient. The CGT wants to align it with rights in force in other sectors. The union highlights measures adapted to a highly feminized workforce. "Everything concerning parenthood, female hormonal problems, endometriosis, hormonal leave. It is a predominantly female workforce," Cédrick Hafner, federal secretary of CGT Commerce and Services, told Livres Hebdo.
Employee organizations also aim to broaden the debate beyond bookshops alone. They question the distribution of revenue across the entire book chain. "If the bookshop sector is protected with the fixed book price, that is not the case for the employees," estimates the federal secretary. He argues they do not benefit from the value created upstream.
The French Booksellers' Union (SLF), for its part, cites a degraded economic climate to explain narrow negotiation margins. At the latest National Booksellers' Meetings, Jérémy Robiolle, development director at Xerfi, noted that after the post-Covid period, market contraction set in with a "quasi-systematic drop in sales." The SLF provided the following sales figures for 2025:
| Metric | Change |
|---|---|
| Sales by value | -1.5% |
| Sales by volume | -2.5% |
The SLF adds that, more structurally, reading time is eroding. "The SLF often says a lot of things, but rarely with supporting evidence," retorts Cédrick Hafner. He contests the idea that wages are to blame for the sector's difficulties, stating, "I do not think it is personnel costs that have made shops close."
A Starting Point
The CGT acknowledges a mobilization that is still limited and difficult to quantify nationally. They present it as a first step rather than a show of force. "We are not proclaiming a great upheaval with this mobilization," recognizes Cédrick Hafner. "It was mainly about establishing a new relationship with employers and encouraging booksellers to unionize."
With this perspective, the federation is considering inter-company, departmental, or regional bodies to represent employees from bookshops without staff representative committees. It does not rule out firmer actions in the future. "If we need to occupy a bookshop, we are ready to do it. We know how to do it," said Hafner.
Contacted by Livres Hebdo, the SLF, through its general delegate Guillaume Husson, stated, "As negotiations are ongoing, it is a bit early for a statement."
