On the occasion of International Workers’ Day this May 1, a parade is planned from 10 a.m. between the State Garden and the prefecture in Saint-Denis. The trade union organizations (CGTR, FO, FSU, SAIPER, Solidaires, UNSA and Union Etudiante 974) are calling for this mobilization with an emphasis on peace, the defense of union and democratic freedoms and the fight against the high cost of living.
Written by NP – Wednesday May 1, 2024 at 6:22 a.m.
© Pierre Marchal / Anakaopress
The main demand concerns an increase in salaries, taking into account the cost of living in Reunion. Jean-Paul Paquiry, general secretary of Force Ouvrière, highlights the injustice of paying the same prices for consumer products, despite economic disparities. “It is unacceptable when you are a private sector worker or a cleaning lady, when you buy a packet of coffee in the supermarket, you pay the same price as the cost of living. This is why we are demanding that salaries be indexed to the cost of living in Reunion. It’s not just salaries, but also pensions, scholarships and social minimums, we have to take into account the local context”maintains the leader of FO.
Then, the question of public services is at the heart of concerns, with government austerity plans leading to job cuts and hospital bed closures. The unions are demanding a 10% increase in the salary index point for civil servants and maintaining the status of the civil service. “It is a public service that is less and less public. People today have to pay to have a public service. The government is taking advantage of this bias to undermine the status of the civil service. We are totally opposed to the announcement made by Minister Stanislas Guérini to harmonize the statutes”denounces Jean-Paul Paquiry.
Finally, the defense of democratic and trade union freedoms is put forward, particularly in the face of government attempts to restrict the right to strike and modify unemployment insurance rules.
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