“This is not the traditional back-to-school strike or a simple social start“, warn the union representatives when presenting the day of national mobilization on Tuesday October 1, which will be formalized in Marseille with a demonstration leaving the Old Port at 10:30 a.m. For the CGT, the FSU and Solidaires, the time has come of “weigh in the balance of power” a few days before the presentation of the Barnier government’s budget. The organizations hope that the procession (which will go up the Canebière to reach the Porte d’Aix) will be dense and the calls for strikes will be followed, to “defend public services, increase wages and continue to demand the repeal of the pension reform”.
“A tense and unusual context”
After an early summer marked by worker mobilizations to participate in the emergence of the New Popular Front during the legislative elections, this demonstration should also be an opportunity to once again denounce Emmanuel Macron’s “coup de force”, with the appointment of Michel Barnier as head of government. “This day comes in a tense and unusual contextposes Caroline Chevé, departmental secretary of the FSU. MBut a few days before the presentation of the budget, we want to put workers’ demands back on the table. And play on the budgetary directions that will be taken. There are choices to be made to finance public services, increase salaries or pensions.”
For unions, we list “the end of the Universal National Service” or “the return of the ISF” for example, to reinforce “vocational high schools, social assistance for children or the Judicial Protection of Youth which has just lost 500 contract workers”.
Ambitions relayed by the CGT which wants to believe that the mobilization “to put the right and the extreme right in a minority during the last legislative elections” has created momentum for the social struggles to come. “We must increase revenue rather than cut expensescontinues Alice Richard, secretary at the CGT departmental union. Today there is a platform of common demands for workers, on wages, the defense of public services. Anger is present in the country. We, unions, must organize it.”
Related News :