Civil servants strike in France – A labor ritual, says French authorities
January 25, 2008
Civil servants held demonstrations all over France on Thursday protesting job cuts and demanding higher salaries for al French government workers. The government of France characterized the marches as simply another “labor union ritual.” Strikes and protest marches in France have become a commonplace and regular occurrence.
Seven out of the eight public servants’ unions in France, representing around 5 million workers, called on its workers to strike, with teachers, hospital workers, firefighters and postal workers answering the call.
According to France’s CGT labor union, about 400,000 people took to the streets all across France. Marchers carrying banners and bullhorns choked streets in Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Marseille.
In Paris, the unions claimed up to 40,000 people had turned out to march, while police low-balled the numbers at 17,000.
The day follows a similar strike on November 20 and a separate wave of stoppages over pensions by transport and energy workers across France.
Civil Servants Minister Eric Woerth was quoted as saying, “This is a maneuver that amounts to a labor union ritual,” dismissing the seriousness and validity of the marchers’ concerns. He added that he would have preferred a dynamic of “dialogue, not confrontation.” However, Woerth had recently announced plans to cut 22,900 civil service jobs this year, one of the issues that had workers up in arms.
On the subject of the across-the-board pay raises civil servants in France are demanding, union leader Francois Chereque called for open salary talks with the government. He also criticized President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, saying he has failed to augment French purchasing power, a major issue in France.
The strike raises pressure on Sarkozy, who is facing a dip in approval ratings in France, festering consternation over scandals in his private life and rising doubt about his election promises to raise the standard of living for workers.
Strikes in France are regarded by many both in the public and government as a needless nuisance, with complaints that unions in France use strikes as a first resort rather than a last. However, according to an opinion poll in Wednesday’s Les Echos business daily, 57 % of the public said the day of strikes was justified.
This particular walkout was a response to the unions’ dissatisfaction with the result of December negotiations, when the government of France rejected demands for sweeping salary increases. While transport workers have recently struck three times, they did not join Thursday’s strike.
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