If the departure of Michel Barnier sounded the death knell for the finance bill, public sector employees hardly seem to have any illusions about the future of events.
At the call of a large inter-union movement*, and with the reinforcement of all the left-wing parties, several thousand of them demonstrated this Thursday, December 5 in the streets of Limoges, in the wake of a rather good national movement follow up.
Certainly, the length of the parade did not reach the records recorded two years ago in Limoges during the movement against pension reform. But the mobilization proved sufficiently substantial for the organizers to begin a long and noisy morning of marching in the streets of the city center.
Paradox
“The lazy people are in the streets! », proclaimed the union representatives into the microphone throughout the journey. A way, according to Catherine, an employee in the social sector, of playing on paradoxes at a time when civil servants are, she says, constantly denigrated. “They want to make us seem privileged? Lazy people? Complainers? Well OK, let's make ourselves heard and above all show that the day we strike, the public services essential to the lives of citizens no longer work. »
“We’re waiting for what’s next”
The three waiting days and the reduction in compensation for days of sick leave or even the non-payment of Gipa (Individual Guarantee of Purchasing Power), are all grounds for grievance for civil service unions , which call for an increase in budgetary resources, the creation of positions in all sectors (in particular health and education), the tenure of contract workers, the increase in the value of the index point and the overhaul of the index scales . The organizations submitted their grievances to the Limoges prefecture, without much illusion. “We are waiting for what happens next,” explained the officials of the local federations.
From 42% to 60% of strikers in schools
If the strike was relatively well followed in all sectors (State, territorial, health, energy, etc.), it was particularly well attended by teachers, particularly in primary education with nearly 60% of school teachers not participating. did not ensure class according to Snuipp-FSU (42.9 according to the Limoges rectorate). Many schools remained closed this Thursday in Haute-Vienne, such as in Panazol where none of the three establishments (35 classes in total) opened their doors. Strong mobilization also in colleges – particularly in school life services -: in Limoges for example, courses could not be provided at Maupassant, Limosin, Renoir colleges, as well as at Langevin college in Saint-Junien.
-Prof-bashing
“The demonstration did not live up to the mobilization on the ground, it’s a bit of a shame,” regretted with one voice Anabel Roy (departmental secretary of Se-Unsa) and Maud Duveuf (academic secretary of Unsa-Éducation), who denounce a permanent teacher-bashing and say they have still not digested the recent comments of Nicolas Sarkozy**.
And now ?
It remains to be seen what follow-up, and above all what meaning the unions now intend to give to a movement which focused above all on a stillborn budget bill. In any case, it could mark a social turning point, in the midst of political confusion. “If Emmanuel Macron gives us bad news, we will come back to the streets, and there will be more of us. »
CGT, CFDT, UNSA, FSU, Solidaires, CFE-CGC and FA-FP
(**) At the beginning of November, the former President of the Republic publicly attacked teachers during a conference, stating in particular that they only worked “six months of the year”.
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