2024-11-11 19:42:00
From railway workers to airline pilots to farmers, many professions are expected to go on strike in the coming days.
Already faced with social plans at Michelin and Auchan, the government must face an increase in calls for strikes for November and December in France, in a sluggish economic context and against a backdrop of budgetary austerity for 2025.
Unions from several sectors have launched calls for strikes and mobilization for the coming weeks to protest against social plans and against the consequences of a draft budget – still under discussion in Parliament – which provides for 60 billion euros budgetary effort to redress public accounts in the red.
• Pilots union calls strike Thursday, November 14
The national union of airline pilots (SNPL) is calling for a strike and a rally late Thursday morning in front of the National Assembly after the vote by deputies for an increase in taxation on air transport, a- it indicated Sunday. “Against the government’s desire to take an additional billion per year from the airline sector, we are calling on pilots but also all employees in the airline sector to mobilize on November 14,” declared a spokesperson for the ultra-majority union at the pilots.
In a joint press release sent late Sunday, several other unions in the sector – UNSA transport, UNSA PNC, CFE-CGC FNEMA, UNAC, SNPNC-FO and FEETS-FO – announced that they called on “all employees in the airline sector to come and demonstrate their disagreement with this tax that is deadly for jobs before the National Assembly on November 14.”
“This project is an unprecedented attack on the airline sector in France, its jobs, its competitiveness and its sustainability,” they denounce.
• Mobilization of farmers in mid-November
On the side of farmers, anger is brewing again, less than a year after a movement which partly paralyzed the main roads in France. Symbolic actions have resumed in recent weeks and should increase after mid-November, notably at the call of the majority unions FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs (JA).
Farmers, hit hard this year by poor wheat harvests and a renewed health crisis on livestock farms, are demanding to be able to make a living from their profession: they are waiting for clarity on loans guaranteed by the State. And they categorically refuse the signing of a free trade agreement negotiated between the EU and Latin American countries, Mercosur.
• Railway workers strike on November 21 then unlimited from December 11
All the SNCF unions called last Tuesday for a strike on Thursday, November 21, following a meeting with the management of the railway group to discuss the dismantling of Fret SNCF and the opening to competition: this will extend from Wednesday November 20 at 7 p.m. to Friday November 22 at 8 a.m. In a press release entitled “the time has come for conflict at the SNCF”, the CGT-Cheminots, the Unsa-Ferroviaire, Sud-Rail and the CFDT-Cheminots warned that this day of strike is “an ultimatum” before “a longer and stronger strike movement in December” if the government and the SNCF do not respond to their demands.
On Saturday, all SNCF unions called for an indefinite strike from Wednesday December 11 to demand a moratorium against the announced dismantling of Fret SNCF and to protest against the terms of opening regional lines to competition. In a joint press release, the CGT-Cheminots, Unsa-Ferroviaire, Sud-Rail and the CFDT-Cheminots explain that given the lack of “inflection” from the group’s management, the strike will be unlimited and renewable for periods of 24 hours starting Wednesday, December 11 at 7 p.m.
1731362790
#expect #November #strikes
**Interview with Jean Dupuis, Political Analyst and Labor Relations Expert**
**Editor:** Thank you for joining us today, Jean. The recent wave of strike calls across various sectors in France, including transportation and agriculture, has raised significant concerns. Can you give us an overview of what is driving this unrest?
**Jean Dupuis:** Certainly. The primary drivers of these strikes are twofold: the impending austerity measures proposed in the government’s draft budget for 2025, which includes substantial cuts and a €60 billion budgetary effort to address the national deficit, and dissatisfaction over social plans at major companies like Michelin and Auchan. Workers across these sectors feel that their jobs and livelihoods are under threat.
**Editor:** You mentioned the airline pilots’ strike scheduled for November 14. What are the specific grievances of the airline sector workers?
**Jean Dupuis:** The national union of airline pilots, SNPL, is particularly concerned about the government’s decision to increase taxation on air transport. They argue that imposing an additional billion euros per year in taxes will not only jeopardize jobs but will also harm the competitiveness of the French airline sector. The unions have framed this tax as a “deadly” threat to their industry, leading to wide support for the mobilization on the 14th.
**Editor:** We also hear that farmers are preparing for demonstrations. What is their main focus of discontent?
**Jean Dupuis:** Farmers are expressing a renewed sense of anger, partly due to the ongoing economic pressures they face. After last year’s protests that disrupted transportation across France, symbolic actions have re-emerged, indicating a build-up of frustration over the government’s agricultural policies and price regulations. There is a profound sense of urgency among farmers, who feel that their concerns are being sidelined in the face of broader economic strategies.
**Editor:** With various sectors poised for strikes, how do you anticipate the government will respond?
**Jean Dupuis:** The government is likely to face significant pressure as these strikes could disrupt transport and supply chains at a critical time. Historically, such widespread mobilizations yield mixed results, but they can provide unions with a stronger negotiating position. The government can either attempt to compromise on certain issues or risk an escalation of protests, which could lead to a much broader societal confrontation.
**Editor:** Lastly, do you believe these strikes could have a lasting impact on public sentiment towards the government?
**Jean Dupuis:** Absolutely. Public sentiment is often shaped by how the government responds to labor disputes. If the strikes gain substantial public support, we could see an increasing challenge to government policies, especially if the economic conditions worsen. The balancing act for the government will be between maintaining fiscal discipline and addressing the legitimate concerns of workers across these critical sectors.
**Editor:** Thank you, Jean, for your insights. We’ll be closely following these developments in the coming weeks.
**Jean Dupuis:** Thank you for having me.
