Alexandra Niola, secretary of the CGT union in Tarascon, is urging the need for a dedicated union house, as the city faces economic and social challenges linked to the Fibre Excellence paper pulp plant, which entered judicial recovery in April 2026. The city recently elected Alexandre Ducouret, a far-right mayor from the Rassemblement National (RN), in March. Since then, tensions have risen between the local government and unions. Ducouret reportedly threatened to shut down the union house after being excluded from a press conference by the unions. On July 2, he sent a certified letter to CGT and Force Ouvrière, informing them that the 2013 agreement allowing them to occupy the union house was being terminated. The unions were given until September 15 to vacate the space, with no relocation options offered. Other local organizations, including Planning Familial and Secours Populaire, were also targeted. This pattern of restricting union spaces is not unique to Tarascon. In Carcassonne (Aude), mayor Christophe Barthès, also from the RN, ended the provision of municipal spaces to several unions, including CGT, CFDT, FSU, and Solidaires, after they supported a protest against the far right. The CGT received a letter demanding they vacate the Bourse du Travail, a building they had occupied for 89 years. A bailiff was later sent to confirm the continued occupation. Similarly, in Bagnols-sur-Cèze (Gard), new mayor Pascale Bordes, from the RN, informed the CGT that the city would not renew their current agreement, requiring them to vacate by August 30, 2026. An additional deadline until November 30 was given to facilitate their departure. Similar letters were sent to other organizations without any explanation. In Liévin (Pas-de-Calais), mayor Dany Paiva, also from the RN, requested the CGT pay 1,300 euros per month for using a municipal space starting March 2027, or face eviction. He justified the request by stating it was not the role of the municipality to fund "militant propaganda." The CGT in Liévin, represented by Claire-Aimée Parmentier, challenged the decision and planned a rally on September 29, which coincided with the public sector mobilization day, to protest the decision and gain national attention. Despite the deadlines, the CGT in Tarascon, supported by other unions, continues to occupy the union house. They have reached out to their confederation's legal team and are preparing for mobilization. On September 17, Sophie Binet, a representative from the national CGT leadership, visited Tarascon to support the workers of Fibre Excellence and to highlight the broader threat to union freedoms across the region. In Bagnols-sur-Cèze, at least 80 CGT members gathered to decide their response to the mayor’s demands. The CGT in that town aims to push for a real Bourse du Travail, a union hall, even for unions without current spaces. In Carcassonne, the CGT has filed a legal challenge against the mayor’s decision. Meanwhile, the CGT in the Aude department is organizing cultural events to emphasize the social role of union houses beyond their traditional functions, such as a public exhibition on the Popular Front of 1936. The CGT in Tarascon also highlights the importance of the union house in preserving jobs related to Fibre Excellence.