Margaux Fodéré 06:16, April 13, 2023
For more than a month now, some French people have been striking relentlessly against the pension reform. And to sustain the movement in the long term, the unions had the idea of setting up solidarity funds, in order to remedy the financial precariousness of the striking workers.For more than a month now, some French people have been striking relentlessly against the pension reform, especially in the energy sector. And who says strike, says no salary. But to hold on, the strikers can count on the solidarity of the French, because we notice that the solidarity funds are full.
€1.4 million raised on Leetchi prize pools
Since January 10, for example, more than 1.4 million euros have been collected on Leetchi online jackpots, all unions combined. In March alone, 1.2 million euros were collected, yet another proof of the charity of the French. And for these initiatives, strikers can, for example, thank the Solidarité Lutte FNME-CGT fund or the Sud-Rail PSE pension strike fund.
And it is the trade unionists themselves who devote themselves to the task of harvesting, such as Stéphane Bon-Mardion, the CGT leader at CIH, EDF's Hydraulic Engineering Centre. He alone has already collected more than 4,000 euros in donations, but this time by bank transfer: "It is the local fund that is fed by CIH agents and they have high salaries. There, I have in mind an agent, it turns out that he is a member so I have his bank details, but every month, he sends me a message saying "take me 300 euros more", which are added to his monthly contribution.
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Sharply reduced wages
Donors know that these funds are essential to the continuation of the movement, both to maintain the pickets on the ground, but also to support the financially weakened strikers. Cyril Carnot, who works at the Grand'Maison hydroelectric power plant in Isère, is on his 39th day of mobilization. "I do 4 hours of work and 4 hours of strike every day. I will be on a salary that will be halved at the end of the month. I think that the movement is indeed continuing because now we have put forward the solidarity funds. That's an important element."
Even if these funds do not fully compensate for the lost salary, in total since January, more than 5 million euros have been collected nationally by the CGT, all sectors combined.