While the Rhône firefighters have been on strike since October 1, the president of the Métropole de Lyon, Bruno Bernard calls on the State to strengthen the financing capacities of the SDMIS, estimating that “the system is running out of steam”.
The firefighters of the SDMIS du Rhône and the Métropole de Lyon have, since October 1, been on indefinite strike to denounce, among other things, the elimination of a housing bonus that they received as well as lack of staff and material resources. On Tuesday, October 1, around forty of them entered the Hôtel de Métropole, causing material damage. Despite an altercation with community agents, they were finally received by the general management of the Métropole de Lyon, which also indicated that she and her agent had filed a complaint.
“We have not recovered the money from these bonuses“
“We have an agent who received five days of ITT”lamented to journalists Bruno Bernard, environmentalist president of the Metropolis of Lyon, this Friday, October 4. And added: “What is happening today has at least the merit of putting on the table the question of financing SDMIS in the long term.“A meeting to this effect must take place on Tuesday October 8 at the Rhône prefecture, bringing together the firefighter unions, state services, the SDMIS, the department and the Metropolis. “As a financier, we have not recovered the money from these premiums“, he assures. And to add: “It is up to them to see how these bonuses, which are no longer paid, can be worked with the union organizations to remain with employees.”
Also read: On strike, SDMIS firefighters enter the Lyon Metropolis, damage noted
As a reminder, this bonus was removed by the SDMIS following a report from the Regional Chamber of Accounts published on June 21, 2023 indicating that the latter was not based on any “own legal basis“. A decision that the president of the SDMIS justified in a letter she sent to them: “The non-application of this recommendation is likely to call into question my criminal and financial liability as well as those of any actor having knowledge of this irregularity, under the provisions of the financial jurisdictions code.“
In this letter, Zémorda Khelifi assured to measure “the full impacts“of the abolition of the compensatory housing allowance, and said to stay”determined to seek favorable conditions for the continued implementation of the memorandum of understanding initiated in 2024“. The SDMIS also recalled evolving in “a tense budgetary context“. For the record, the social movement of firefighters also follows the absence of a bonus for the profession during the Paris Olympic Games, “despite reduced annual leave for 1,070 professional firefighters” deplored the South union in a press release at the start of the week. The Métropole de Lyon and the Rhône department were invited by the State to finance 50% of a bonus of €700. But the communities felt they were unable to achieve such an effort without guaranteed support from the State.
To increase the SDMIS budget, Bruno Bernard wants new revenue
“In 2024, our budget for the SDMIS amounts to just over 130 million euros“, also recalled Bruno Bernard, indicating that this budget (which represents 80% of the total financing of the SDMIS, the remaining 20% being the responsibility of the department and the communes of the Rhône) only amounted to a little less than 120 million euros in 2022. “We have made a considerable effort, however, it is not enough“, he conceded, inviting the State to do more.
Despite the community’s difficulties in developing its 2025 operating budget, linked in particular to the reduction in transfer rights for consideration, it will keep its SDMIS budget increasing, to the tune of -0.5% of inflation , an increase of more than one percent. The elected official lamented “low funding“of the State indicating: “The SDIS missions are only increasing, the costs are only increasing. The system is running out of steam, everyone knows the problem and nothing has happened since 2022.“And the environmentalist president called for an increase in the tax on insurance agreements (TSCA) to generate new revenue and increase the budget for fire and rescue services.
Also read: Public finances: Lyon communities on a lean regime
“(Its) financiers cannot ensure the financing of the SDMIS alone”
“It’s the quickest and most logical option. The quicker the firefighters arrive, the less the cost for insurance.”supported Bruno Bernard. In November 2023, a letter to this effect was sent by the representatives of the SDIS of the South-East defense and security zone to Prime Minister Borne, then an amendment to the 2024 finance bill tabled by the socialist senator Gilbert-Luc Devinaz, swept by the 49.3. Between 2018 and 2023, however, the TSCA increased by 20% according to a report from the controller general of the Rhône firefighters, while the contributions of the Metropolis and the Department to the SDMIS increased by only 8%.
“The dynamism of the TSCA has only partially benefited the SDMIS”notes the controller general. According to this same report, the Métropole de Lyon only allocates 37% of the amount of TSCA it receives to financing the SDMIS. This is 28% for the department. “The financiers of the SDMIS (..) are also in extremely constrained financial situations, and they cannot ensure the financing of the SDMIS alone.“, concluded the Controller General in his report addressed to the rapporteurs of the information mission on the financing of the SDIS.
