Around fifteen shepherds, eight dogs and a few banners gathered this Thursday, November 21 in front of the premises of the Departmental Directorate of Employment, Labor, Solidarity and Population Protection (DDETSPP) in Digne-les-Bains. The objective: to support their union representatives, who came to the DDETSPP for a joint joint commission in order to renegotiate their working conditions.
“Our main demand is already respect for the Labor Code. Currently we are paid between 35 and 40 hours while we work almost 90“, declares Jean-Christophe Guichaoua, from the Paca Herdsmen Union, who regrets that the Departmental Federation of Agricultural Unions (FDSEA), which represents farmers and breeders, did not come in person for the meeting.
The invisible crisis of the profession
The list of shepherds' grievances is very long: non-payment for hours actually worked, unsanitary housing, unsupported work equipment, etc.
“Between shoes, waterproof clothing… I think we get around 700 euros just for a summer pasture, and we pay out of our own pocket“, says Marie*, a young 23-year-old shepherd. Like Marie, the shepherds who came to demand their rights this Thursday in Digne all testify to a growing unease in the profession, and recurring abuse.
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