The initial route requested by the inter-union coalition since October 22 was refused this week. The unions protested against a decision deemed late, which did not allow the procession's security to be properly organized. The Paris procession set off from Place de la République at 2 p.m., with music and under slogans.
In the public service, nearly 10% of agents took part in the strike this Thursday.
The unions called on private- and public-sector employees to take to the streets and go on strike, after weeks of youth mobilization against the high cost of living, to demand answers from the government and employers on purchasing power.
The Paris police prefecture banned the two routes filed in the city center by the unions and the yellow vests, imposing an alternative route at the edge of Paris, which the inter-union coalition denounces.
The crowd there was so massive that demonstrators were blocked for a long time at the intersection of Boulevard Voltaire, while waiting for the procession to move forward.