A large inter-union movement is calling for a one-day strike this Thursday, December 5, against the savings measures targeting civil servants in the government's draft budget. The organizations denounce in particular the passage from 1 to 3 days of waiting in the event of sick leave or the end of the individual purchasing power guarantee in 2025.
“We are in a multiplied official bashing”. The expression of Yvan Garcia, representative of the CGT in the territorial civil service, sums up quite well the state of mind which currently reigns in the three public functions. The government's announcement of an increase from 1 to 3 days of waiting time in the event of sick leave, the interruption of the individual purchasing power guarantee (Gipa) which allowed agents to have compensation for the effects of inflation are decisions denounced by a broad inter-union movement which is calling for a one-day strike on December 5.
“We’re going to pick into the pockets of the sick!”
“What we see is that savings are made partly at the expense of civil servants. We end up with measures that reduce purchasing power” deplores Patrick Crosnier, the departmental secretary of the CFDT who calls for their outright withdrawal. “The decisions taken on sick leave, the 10% reduction in compensation is the measure too many, the one which concentrates the uneasiness. Colleagues know that we are tipping into a situation where we will bite into the pockets of the sick” assures Mathieu Marchal, representative of Force Ouvrière in National Education. “These three days of absence pose a health risk because people will go to work while sick” adds Médrik Bagagli (South).
A “scandalous” speech
According to the trade union organizations, the declarations of the Minister of the Civil Service Guillaume Kasbarian aim to “stigmatize” civil servants, public services already in difficulty in terms of staff numbers and attractiveness. “The government is attacking head-on, this anti-civil servant speech is scandalous” protests Stéphane Audebeau, the departmental secretary of the FSU.
Today they claim to have “the support of a large part of public opinion” and make this December 5, a day of “fundamental mobilization” in the balance of power engaged with the government.
