“If you are not well here, go elsewhere!”, Says the president of the Nord department to social workers

This year for its vows, the Nord department has chosen to present them in various places. After Lille, Valenciennes and La Sambre-Avesnois, Christian Poiret went on Friday January 24 to Téteghem, near Dunkirk. Employees of associations took advantage of his arrival to protest against the lack of means. To which he replied howling: “If you are not well here, go elsewhere, I say it and I assume it, go to work elsewhere”. Words denounced by the unions.

“If you are not well here, go elsewhere, I say it and I assume it, go work elsewhere !”. At the microphone, on the gallery, Christian Poiret loses his nerves. Faced with him, in the room, social workers from the department. When he started his speech, they turned his back on him, brandishing their paper signs. Invited for the wishes of the department, they protested against their working conditions and the absence of means of child protection.

After the first remarks of Christian Poiret, in the room, the whistles fuse. The president of the department again releases again : “If you are not happy, go elsewhere! ”.

The video hardly lasts more than a minute and has been circulating since social networks.

A few seconds before, he said : “The president is serene, if you have work in degraded mode, do something other than working in the North department “.

Alexandre Leleux, secretary general Fo Sambre-Avesnois, who was not there, posted in response on social networks : “Shame on the President of the North”. Joined by phone, he claims not to recognize Christian Poiret in these violent remarks : “He is a major politician, he is used to cogs, he farted a lead. He is used to pressure and making political decisions, his behavior betrays a certain tension in the face of agents who have very real working conditions. “

His colleague, David Grégoire, departmental secretary FO is more decided. “With Christian Poiret, it is always the fault of others. Rather than going to seek money elsewhere, with the State, he taps on workers. He no longer deserves to be in his place, he is undrinkable !”

With Christian Poiret, it is always the fault of others, rather than going to seek money elsewhere, with the State, he hits the workers. He no longer deserves to be in his place.

David Grégoire, secretary general FO – Sambre Avesnois

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Social assistants quickly came out while the president continued to harangue the agents present. Another movement awaited him outside. The associations of the medico-social sector came to denounce a budget cut of 3 million euros for prevention specialized in 2025. It would be a quarter of the budget of this mission. “It is the most precarious people who will pay these budgetary logics that we do not understand at all“, adds David Grégoire.

In a press release, the inter -union of the northern sector explains : “Each year, 300 social workers support more than 10 000 young people and their families in the department. This budget cut seriously threatens their work. Specialized prevention makes it possible to prevent investments by providing direct and preventive support to families in difficulty.“

For threatened street workers, the reduction of these means will cause an overload of child protection services that we already know in point. About sixty positions would be deleted, certain services closed.

We did not expect such contempt to employees who are every day at the front. Let him talk to us like that from his platform when we have to do more more with fewer means … again, these are the most fragile on which we type.

Anaïs Demuynck, social worker AAE – Dunkirk

Anaïs Demuynck is a social worker in the AAE association which intervenes in the Dunkirk. She says she is extremely shocked by the words of Christian Poiret. Disappointed, she confesses : “It is unacceptable. We are in total contempt. We did not expect such contempt in the face of employees who are every day at the front. That he talks to us like that since his platform when we have to Always doing more with fewer means … again, they are the most fragile on which we type. “

Nathalie Harmand, union delegate south is an educator of the street. His job? Intervene with young people and their families in the priority districts of the city. Follow and identify school dropouts, young people who are tempted by delinquency, those in family breakdown … She was present Friday, January 24 during the wishes of the president of the department. Outside. With his union colleagues, they could not enter, they were not invited. On the other hand, they consoled their colleagues social workers released after the words of Christian Poiret.

She tells : “They were crying. These are women who do not count their hours, who do with their means to save families. They were shocked. Hear that, that they can go elsewhere! What contempt. They felt considered as M … when they just want to work in worthy conditions “.

A petition entitled “North: specialized prevention in danger!” was launched following the announcement of the cup of 3 million euros.

These words pronounced before the agents of the department only strengthened the distrust between the child protection services and the presidency of the department. On February 6, the prevention services have planned to demonstrate. After the events on Friday, a strike notice was also filed for the 45 Nord Solidarity houses which depend directly on the department.

Contacted, the department's management told us that “Christian Poiret will not comment”.