- On 26 January 2026 CGT filed notice of a renewable 48-hour strike from 2 February across the entire fleets of Corsica Linea and La Méridionale. The mobilisation, also backed by SAMM and STC, covers all served ports and represents an escalation following the 24-hour strike on 2 December 2025.
- At the heart of the dispute is a complaint about what unions describe as unfair competition from GNV and Corsica Ferries, operating under the Italian international flag from Sète to Algeria and Corsica. The unions allege breaches of cabotage rules, social dumping and an erosion of the public service perimeter.
- The unions are calling for the implementation of a common shipping programme for 2026 between Corsica Linea and La Méridionale, guarantees on funding for DSPs through to 2030, and protection of employment. According to union estimates, around 1,000 jobs could be at risk.
On 26 January 2026 the French union CGT lodged notice of a renewable 48-hour strike from 2 February 2026 by workers across the entire fleets of Corsica Linea and La Méridionale and in all served ports. The action, also supported by SAMM and STC, reopens a dispute launched in December 2025 against what the unions define as unfair competition from GNV and Corsica Ferries, both operating under the Italian international flag, and against the failure to implement the industrial commitments announced by the two French companies.
The trigger for the strike is the lack of follow-through on the “common shipping programme” for 2026 that management had promised after the 24-hour strike on 2 December 2025. According to the unions, that programme was meant to strengthen passenger services between France and the Maghreb and act as a barrier to GNV’s entry from Sète, while also curbing the expansion of Corsica Ferries, again from Sète. The new strike notice provides for work stoppages after vessels arrive, while still guaranteeing safety activities, passenger disembarkation and the unloading of accompanied vehicles. The model is designed to maximise the operational impact on rotations while reducing the risk of disputes on safety grounds.
The union document sets out five demands. The first is the effective implementation of cooperation agreements between Corsica Linea and La Méridionale, with a common 2026 programme that unions see as essential to defend market share and jobs. The second is the suspension of authorisations granted to companies flying international flags outside the OSP or DSP perimeter, with direct reference to GNV on France–Maghreb routes and to Corsica Ferries on services to Corsica. The third concerns a state guarantee of funding for the Corsica–mainland maritime DSPs until their expiry in 2030. The fourth is the strict application of cabotage rules and the principle of reciprocity, and the fifth is the protection of jobs and social rights, with unions estimating that around 1,000 positions are at risk.
Sète is at the centre of the dispute because GNV opened two weekly services to Algiers and Béjaïa from the port on 3 June 2025, deploying the vessel Fantastic, and from 21 February 2026 plans to add the vessel Altair, increasing capacity and bringing the Algeria service to two weekly rotations. At the same port, Corsica Ferries has announced fourteen triangular sailings between Sète, Ajaccio and Porto Torres for April–September 2026, further expanding capacity. The unions’ reading is that expansion from Sète diverts volumes from the historic routes based on Marseille, where Corsica Linea and La Méridionale operate, and that competition is also being played out on labour costs, as companies under international flag are said to face lower social charges than those on the French first register.
The dispute also has an institutional dimension. On 27 January 2026 a delegation from SAMM, STC and CFDT was received by the French Ministry of Transport (Ministère des Transports), but the unions complain about the absence of “concrete action” and of the promised negotiating table. In the background is the 2023–2030 DSP framework for territorial continuity between Corsican ports and Marseille, approved by the European Commission in November 2024 and based on public compensation amounting to €853.6 million. According to the unions, the balance of the DSP risks being weakened if segments of demand are captured by market-based operators with different cost structures. At the same time, Corsica Ferries has repeatedly challenged the DSPs before European institutions, helping to keep tensions high over the scope and legitimacy of the aid.
The recent timeline explains why the strike has returned to centre stage. After the 2 December 2025 mobilisation, discussions became intertwined with fleet issues. On 12 December 2025 La Méridionale presented to the Social and Economic Committee (Comité social et économique) the sale of the ferry Kalliste, citing economic constraints and compliance with new environmental rules coming into force in 2026, while unions interpreted the move as a downsizing that weakens competitive capacity. On 17 January 2026 an ordinary meeting of the Social and Economic Committee was interrupted when STC walked out, contesting the failure to honour commitments made. On 22 January CGT filed an initial strike notice linked to the sale of the Kalliste and the demand for an additional common programme between Sète and Maghreb ports. Four days later, on 26 January, the union extended the protest to the entire fleet with the February strike.
For freight transport and logistics operators, the most tangible issue is the risk of disruption on routes serving Corsica and the Maghreb, with potential knock-on effects on supply chains and flow planning, especially if the strike is renewed day by day. The “after arrival” formula and the guarantee of safety activities reduce the risk of onboard blockages, but can still break operational sequences in rotations and create traffic backlogs in the ports served. In parallel, the entry into service of Altair from 21 February 2026 and the scheduling of Corsica Ferries rotations between April and September 2026 indicate that, beyond the union dispute, competitive pressure on Sète is set to remain a structural factor throughout 2026.
