A CGT flag in one hand and a sprig of lily of the valley in the other, Sylvain demonstrates in the rain with a smile. The union representative participated in the May 1 mobilization in Poitiers, like 700 other people. A figure down compared to last year, when the unions counted more than 14,000 people, and the police, 10,000.
“Last year, we continued the mobilization against pension reform, this year, we have more difficulty mobilizing but the anger is still there”assures the union delegate who also points the finger “a form of discouragement”.
“We continue to hit workers again and again”
But there are still many battles to fight, protesters say. “Already on the inflation frontsays Anthony, a disabled worker on minimum wage. I have a meager salary and I spend almost 40 euros on groceries per week, this is no longer possible, this really needs to be reversed, I’m fed up”.
Unemployment insurance reform also raises eyebrows in the procession. “We always punish the same people even though it’s already a hell of a punishment not to have a job, believes Xavier, civil servant and community activist*. The government has chosen directly to stigmatize the unemployed, it is simply unacceptable”*.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are also in the sights of the unions. “It is unacceptable to spend so many billions on the Olympic Games, and besides that, we continue to hit workers and precarious workers”, denounces Fabien Lecomte, secretary of the local union of the CGT in Poitiers. The CGT is already warning that it will mobilize at the end of the month against the passage of the flame in the Vienne.
#French
