The general secretary of the CGT, Sophie Binet, announced the filing of a strike notice in the public service from April until the end of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. A way of denouncing the social preparation of Games.
To the “social truce” requested by the president of the organizing committee of the Paris Olympic Games, Tony Estanguet, the CGT responds with a firm no. The general secretary of the union announced this Thursday March 7 on franceinfo the filing of a notice of strike in the public service which extends from the month of April until the end of the Olympic period, in August. The threat of a strike and especially the possibility given to public sector workers to go on strike during the Olympic Games is a new warning signal sent to the government according to Sophie Binet: “We have been repeating the same thing and no one cares. It’s starting to get very tiring.” “We want the government to take immediate measures to ensure the success of the Games, for which the CGT has been working for years. To do this, our warnings must finally be heard and the games must be prepared from a social point of view” , added the trade unionist.
These are the three sectors of the public service which will be affected by the strike notice promised by the CGT: state services, those of local authorities and hospital services. These professions are mobilized “voluntarily or not” for and during the Olympic Games and the efforts required of them cause “strong discontent” indicated Céline Verzeletti at the head of the civil service branch of the CGT during a press conference. Wednesday March 6.
A “social challenge” not taken up by Matignon
“Nearly 100,000 civil servants” will be called upon for the Paris Games according to the CGT and as many will be subject to constraints listed by Sophie Binet, in particular the fact of “having to work much more than usual with overtime and paid leave that they will not be able to take. The boss of the CGT also questioned the social conditions planned for these workers during the Olympics and denounced a lack of preparation on the part of the State: “How are we going to accommodate all the workers who will have to come to the Island? -de-France? How are we going to take care of their children while it’s the school holidays? What bonuses will they get? For the moment, there is nothing defined on this side.”
Sophie Binet has already distributed a “red card” to the government for the lack of social preparation necessary for the Paris Games and demanded, on March 3, a meeting with Matignon to respond to the “social challenge” of the Olympics. Among the points of contention which must be resolved, the CGT cites “the lack of anticipation”, “the absence of social dialogue and transparency on the compensation granted” or even “unilateral decisions” of the government.
“Same constraints, same bonuses”
The CGT of the civil service has for its part already formulated demands, including one: “Same constraints, same bonuses”. “We are demanding amounts aligned with what was granted to the police, i.e. up to 1,900 euros. Today we are very far from the target,” clarified Céline Verzeletti. The police are also mobilized for the Olympics and were able to obtain financial compensation announced by the Minister of the Interior. Negotiations to determine sufficient compensation and avoid social conflict in the sectors affected by additional constraints during the Olympic Games have been carried out for several months, but have not yet resulted in agreements in all professions.