Surprise power cut in Figeac (9,700 inhabitants), in the Lot, this Thursday, January 19. Part of the city center was plunged into darkness for much of the afternoon. “I first thought there had been a problem with the circuit breaker, before my saleswomen told me that the cut concerned the pharmacy next door, and more generally the whole neighborhood”, says Joël Bouzou, boss from the Tendres crumbs bakery.
For just over three hours, from 2:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., the traders concerned had to lower the curtain. “That afternoon, we made zero euros in revenue. Not to mention the wasted production because of the power cut in the cold room”, continues the baker, who indicates that he has counted “600 euros in losses”. And went to file a complaint the next day. “I have employees who get up at 2 a.m. to work and behind, we are cut off, he complains. My young people can support the movement against the reform. I would also like not to leave late retired. But we have no power to harm, and yet we suffer the consequences of those who do. It disgusts me.” Since then, Joël Bouzou fears to suffer new cuts.
Because these are directly linked to the movement against pension reform. In recent days, the CGT Mines-Energie has announced that it wants to carry out various actions to protest against the government’s project. Monday, January 23, its Marseille section indicated that it wanted “free” operations. “We have the technical capacity to lower the energy bills of bakers, without endangering property or people,” Renaud Henry, secretary general of CGT Energie Marseille, told AFP. Illegal “Robin Hood” actions, which he considers “completely moral”, but which are not the only ones carried out by the union, tempted by targeted power cuts.
Other areas in France could potentially have been affected by this method of protesting last week, such as the towns of Massy, in Essonne, and Chaumont, in Haute-Marne, or Montpellier, where they have not yet been claimed. These multiple actions resonate with the statements of the boss of the CGT, Philippe Martinez, who indicated, on the day of the mobilization, that the strike risked having consequences on energy production. “There will be power cuts, drops in production…”, he declared on the set of Public Sénat. The end of a taboo?
“Although it has gone a little more unnoticed lately, it is a method that has always existed”, relativizes Claude Martin, federal secretary of the FNME-CGT. The practice has in fact been used for several decades in the trade union struggle. It would even be more than a century old: it goes back to the first conflicts involving electricians, in Paris, between 1905 and 1907. At the time, the latter protested against their assimilation to municipal staff. The trade unionists of the CGT then seek a method which would mark the opinion. Power cut is chosen, and will be used multiple times in this conflict. In 1909, Emile Pataud, one of the most emblematic union representatives of the period, even chose to turn off the lights of the Paris Opera, while a distinguished guest – the King of Portugal – was among the spectators .
The barrier of public opinion
This type of action is commonplace. During the strikes of 1936, power cuts were recorded in the South. As noted by historian Stéphane Sirot, a specialist in the sociology of strikes and trade unionism, in an article on the subject, the “threat of interruption of the supply of electricity is enough to precipitate the opening and the conclusion of the negotiations”, in Mulhouse. In 1969, the unions chose not to cut the power at the national level. Targeted interruptions occur however in Ile-de-France, in very symbolic places, such as in the district of the ministries or on the Champs-Elysées. After other symbolic power cuts during the big strikes in the winter of 86-87, then in 1995, the last major strikes took place in the early 2004s, to protest against the project to change the status of EDF and SFM. Thereafter, the general rule is, for a few years, to limit cuts so as not to penalize the user. “There was a time when they were not as targeted as today, explains Stéphane Sirot to the Express. There is a barrier linked to the perception of public opinion”.
To the internal regulations of electricians, too. Since 1989, two notes – “Bénat” and “Daurès”, written by the hand of the directors of production and distribution of EDF at the time – frame the possibilities of cuts of the strikers. Validated by a judgment of the Council of State dating from 1997, their purpose is to guarantee both the safety of the installations, but also the continuity of the public service. The system they put in place prohibits interruptions in the supply of electricity. The first indicates that if the network is in danger, RTE – the French electricity transmission manager – can ask the strikers to increase production. In exchange, 20% of their pay is maintained, even during a strike. With the second, the management of Enedis can requisition agents if necessary according to needs.
Actions described as “sabotage”
Large-scale cuts will occur sporadically thereafter, depending on the importance of social conflicts. In April 2009, François Fillon, then Prime Minister, even described them as “sabotage” during a speech at Chaumont. “I wanted to reiterate once again the concern which is mine, which is that of the government, which is that of many French people, in the face of certain manifestations of violence which have nothing to do with social dialogue”, he had then declared, continuing: “I am thinking of the kidnapping of certain business leaders, I am thinking of the wild power cuts that have taken place in recent days: it is sabotage, it is not the strike, it does not is not social action”. A major social movement then affected electricians.
Several power cuts occurred in the following years, such as locally in Foix, in 2018. At that time, Enedis agents carried out targeted electricity shutdowns in certain administrations, such as those of taxes, with consequences for individuals. “The preponderant strategy of the unions in recent years was above all to maintain the support of public opinion, while affecting the company – and therefore power – in the wallet”, deciphers Stéphane Sirot. The practice is back in force with another movement against pension reform, this time in 2019. At the end of the year, the CGT unions cut off electricity in several districts of Nantes, Lyon and Gironde. It is then, according to a union representative interviewed by AFP, to issue “a first warning to the government”. Once again, these actions are described as “wild cuts” by the Prime Minister in place, Edouard Philippe. He demands that they be “sanctioned”. Enedis files around 80 complaints, triggering several investigations. Two agents, at least, are placed briefly in police custody as part of these procedures.
Today, the FNME-CGT indicates “not to forbid anything”. “Like the actions of free, these are local initiatives, nuance nevertheless Claude Martin. It is obvious that we will have to touch the economic life to make us heard, but we remain very careful, in particular in areas close to public schools, or hospitals. We were thinking about where to cut”. For its part, Enedis explains that it is adopting a behavior similar to that adopted three years ago. “In the event of voluntary power cuts observed, the company quickly involves teams of technicians, in order to restore the situation as quickly as possible for the customers affected, it is indicated. The company systematically files a complaint with the police and gendarmerie”. These proceedings refer to an article of the Energy Code which punishes intrusion into electrical works, as well as unauthorized maneuvers on the network. A fine of 1,500 euros punishes it. It can go up to 3,000 euros in the event of a repeat offence.