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Paris, July 1, 2025 (OLA NEWS) – A gathering took place this Tuesday on the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris. A mobilization that brought together many liberal health professions. Pharmacists, physiotherapists, dentists, and midwives all took part in this “on-call strike” to protest against the freeze on tariff increases. Initially scheduled to end on July 1st, the freeze has been extended by the government for six months, until January 2026.
Despite the heatwave (with temperatures nearing 40 °C), 2,000 people demonstrated from 11 a.m., according to organizers. Around 1 p.m., the march moved toward the Ministry of Health, holding signs such as “Pharmacies in danger, health at risk” and “We treat sprains—except those to the social contract.”
At the heart of the protest is the decision by the monitoring committee of the National Objective for Health Insurance Spending (Ondam) to suspend all remuneration increases for health professionals, citing that sector spending had exceeded the 0.5% cap set by the government.
The measure is deemed unacceptable by the fourteen trade unions gathered under the collective #BetrayedCaregivers, including the FFMKR (French Federation of Physiotherapists) and the FSP (Federation of Pharmaceutical Trade Unions of France). They criticize a “disconnected” government, pointing out that physiotherapists’ pay has only increased by €2.21 in 23 years, while their weekly hours have risen from 40 to 54 with no additional compensation.
Although the demonstration remained peaceful, discussions between union representatives and Health Minister Catherine Vautrin failed to reach an agreement. ‘There’s no more money in the state coffers, so they’re choosing to maintain the measure’, they said. A statement that only served to accentuate their frustration. One thing is certain: the protest movement is just getting started.
Reporting and pictures by Arnaud Vilette, Lucas Autréau, OLA NEWS PARIS; editing by Alexandre Minguez
