On the sidelines of the demonstrations and strikes against the pension reform which will continue, the CGT for mines and energy has warned that “targeted” power cuts could target certain elected officials.
Since the announcement of the pension reform project of the Borne government, the CGT has multiplied the announcements on the means of action to be put in place to challenge. Latest proposal? The threat, formulated by a branch of the CGT, to carry out power cuts targeting elected officials in favor of the bill. This Monday, January 23, the executive reacted through the voice of Olivier Dussopt. At the exit of the Council of Ministers which had precisely on the agenda the pension reform, the Minister of Labor indeed declared “that not everything is acceptable” on the part of the unions to make the government bend.
“There are a certain number of actions which are envisaged, which are announced, which do not come under militant protest action, but which may come under an offence. This is the case, in particular, of cuts, when ‘they are targeted and voluntary,’ recalled the minister. This warning is not the first announced by the members of the executive; on the sidelines of the demonstrations on January 19 when the CGT des mines et de l’énergie warned of such measures, Gérald Darmanin, had judged an announcement “absolutely scandalous”, and the government spokesperson “properly unacceptable” remarks.
Faced with the government’s rumble, Phillipe Martinez, secretary general of the CGT, tried to lower the pressure on January 19. On Public Senate, the trade unionist seemed to backtrack to deflate the controversy, stating that it was “more a symbol than a real threat”, the union having made these announcements according to him to “express real anger”. Yet Sunday, January 22 on RTL, Phillipe Martinez seemed not to have completely abandoned the idea, wanted to target this time not elected officials, but “billionaires”.
Same story for Sébastien Menesplier, who seems to him to want to establish a balance of power with the elected officials who would vote for the pension reform. The secretary general of the CGT federation of mines and energy thus estimated on BFM TV this Monday, January 23 that “the strike is good, but it is no longer enough”. “We must take actions and actions that are visible, which have an impact vis-à-vis those who support the government and the laws of social regression,” he warned at the microphone of the channel continuously. Ironically about his announcements, he announced that he wanted to “do energy sobriety” for elected officials and billionaires. And to add with sarcasm: It will be necessary “certainly to target people who carry out activity which is not essential, we will do as the government has told us. […] If the agents in assembly decide to carry out various actions, it could be organized.”