Fri Mar 29, 2024
March 29, 2024

Strikes and crisis in France

The increase of demonstrations and strikes in France already interferes in economy: provision of fuel and energy are most affected by it.

By CSP-Conlutas.

 

Last Thursday, the 26th, near 300.000 people went to the streets in France, in one more day of demonstrations against the Labour Act of François Hollande.

The working class offensive gets stronger, with strikes and stoppages that have affected the economic flux of the country. Just like the previous protests, that started three months ago, the demonstrations were hardly repressed by the police.

Next major event will be June 14th, days after the beginning of the most popular football[1] championship of Europe.

The last organized movements’ day of action, the workers of nuclear powers joint other sectors already on strike, and they stopped the production, causing lack of fuel to two companies before the opening of the European Championship, on June 10th.

With a favourable vote to strike in all of the 19 nuclear powers of the country, the government has already activated the strategic reserves of fuel, using last Wednesday 3 of the 115 days of available reserves.

According to the information released by the big press, there are long lines at the gas stations, which ration the distribution in many cases, and the deposits of almost a third of all stations are dry or almost empty.

Even if they manage to do it, the problem of lack of fuel, that reaches four of the twelve thousand stations, will not be resolved, as most workers at the refineries are on strike.

With the adhesion of the nuclear powers’ workers, the fear is the energy provision is also affected.

Stoppages in the transport sector

The protest movement has caused interruption in transportation, also. The rail company SNCF informed their fifth strike since March of this year for this week of struggles.

Aviation Sector recommended the reduction of 15% of the flights of last Thursday (26th) to Paris-Orly.

Rejection by the population and authoritarian decree

The movements criticize specifically the article 2nd, that allows relaxation and the particular agreements over the trade-union negotiations, undermining the labour conditions, as collective negotiations must prevail over the sectors agreements. To continue implementing the reform, the government appealed to a constitutional instrument –the 49-3-, which allows the approval of an Act that does not pass through the Parliament before getting to the Senate.

The authoritarianism of this government exposes internal divergences, regarding the polarization, expressed by the Minister of Treasury and the defenders of a tightening policy, such as the Prime Minister Manuel Valls. According investigations, more than 60% of the French support the protests and it is against the Act project.

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Notes:

[1] Soccer – American English.

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Translation: Sofía Ballack.

Originally published in www.cspconlutas.org.br

Read this and other related articles at www.litci.org

 

 

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