“The agents are very upset”: the reasons for the surprise strike at the CAF of Tarn-et-Garonne

“100% of the agents in the benefits department, responsible for processing files and welcoming beneficiaries, are absent from their workstation, this is unprecedented,” notes the inter-union CGT/CFDT/CFE-CGC/CAT regarding the surprise strike which impacted the Tarn-et-Garonne Family Allowance Fund, Tuesday November 12, 2024.

The reason, according to the unions, is degraded working conditions and a “numbers policy” driven by management. “Agents ask to be considered in their work and for their decisions to be taken into account. Over the course of a day, an agent can do three different things, depending on the orders and counter-orders given by managers. The last straw , this was the questioning of the April 2025 holidays. Management asked to balance the workforce over the two weeks of the Easter holidays while the rule of 60% presenteeism was nevertheless respected”, indicates Yves Alexis , CGT union delegate.

It is essential to be able to work in good conditions because there are lives behind the benefit numbers and a meaning behind the work of the agents.

“For management, only the number of files processed counts, but for the agents, it goes beyond that. Every day, the agent carries on his shoulders the responsibility impacting a family in Tarn-et-Garonne. An error often leads to an additional burden in the life of the beneficiary and this is the moral responsibility of the agent who handles the file. It is essential to be able to work in good conditions because there are lives behind the beneficiary numbers and a meaning behind them. the work of agents”, underlines the inter-union in a press release, calling for “awareness of management and concrete actions to improve working conditions”.

Management had offered to receive the union organizations this Friday, November 15 at 2 p.m. “The meeting was postponed until Tuesday 11 a.m. at the request of the agents because on Friday, they are teleworking,” indicates Yves Alexis.

109 agents are employed on permanent contracts at the CAF of Tarn-et-Garonne. “There are a lot of fixed-term contracts of 3 to 6 months, things are going well,” notes the CGT delegate. He regrets that an executive who retired “two weeks ago” will not be replaced until the beginning of 2025.

If this surprise strike is linked to a local situation, wage demands remain a priority for the inter-union. “Here, we are in a national negotiation. The annual increase is 1.5% on average. You should know that only 30% of agents benefit from it each year.”