• Under the yoke of Emmanuel Macron's criticisms on the subject, Benoît Payan said that the number of strikes had been halved since he became mayor.

  • Without providing precise figures, the unions recognize a decrease in strikes, linked in particular to the agreement governing the right to strike, voted at the beginning of the year.

The first spike was worn by Emmanuel Macron, during his visit to the much awaited and relayed from the Marseille city. "You have a problem with your municipal staff and you have too many strikes (...) absenteeism, pearly strikes, this is a subject that must be discussed in all frankness because the State does not come to invest for in a way that some come to take their tithe ”, had launched the President of the Republic on September 2 during the speech presenting his“ ambitions ”for the city of Marseille.

Asked about the subject a few days later by Emmanuel Macron on the set of

C à Vous

, the mayor of Marseille Benoît Payan disagreed, even adding that there would be fewer strikes among municipal agents since he was the controls.

"There are half as many strikes in 2020 as in 2019 and almost three times fewer than in 2018", agrees Olivia Fortin, deputy mayor in charge of modernization, operation, transparency and co-production of public action.

No precise figures

An assertion that neither the city of Marseille, nor the unions are able to support with precise figures, despite our requests on the subject. "Mathematically, I could not tell you, but it is true that there have been fewer strikes," says Patrick Rué, general secretary of the Force Ouvrière union of territorial agents of Marseille, largely in the majority among municipal agents. There are several reasons for this. There is obviously social dialogue, but that has not solved all the problems. On the other hand, there is a law that was passed in 2019 on the transformation of the public service. And this law provides for a minimum service. We agreed to negotiate the implementation of this minimum service with the main counterpart being that the mayor does not call on requisitions. "

At the beginning of the year, following long inter-union negotiations and a bitter political debate, including within the municipal majority which had torn apart on the subject, Olivia Fortin had indeed succeeded in getting a vote for a agreement with the municipal council aimed at limiting strikes in school canteens in Marseille.

“Now, we have to say 48 hours before if we go on strike,” explains Françoise Risterucci, CGT secretary of the territorial authorities of the city of Marseille.

There is also pressure on the agents not to go on strike!

"

"More degraded working conditions"

"What means that today there are fewer strikes is that also, now, if you strike by the hour, as can be done in the public service, you must start your strike at the beginning. day, details Patrick Rué. You cannot go on strike in the middle of the day, which was the case, especially during canteen time. This meant that there were strikes from the first day of the year to the last, with notices filed by unions throughout the year. "

"If there are more strikes in Marseille, it is perhaps because working conditions are more degraded in Marseille than elsewhere", launches Franck Bergamini, secretary general of FO in the Bouches-du-Rhône.

“The problem in Marseille is not the strikes,” says Olivia Fortin.

The strikes are a symptom of the working conditions of our agents, which have been abandoned for 25 years.

And in the face of that, today we have set up a social dialogue at all levels, for everyone.

"

"It's a little early to take stock"

“To make this kind of calculations, you have to look at two equivalent periods, tempers Franck Bergamini.

There were confinements in 2020. In 2019, we were involved in all battles against pension reform.

So we are going to give ourselves a little time to measure the various social mobilizations in such and such a sector.

I do not know the mayor's method of calculation in this matter, but everyone must be judged on an entire term.

I think it is a bit early to take stock, and we have the right to expect a left-wing municipality to set up high-level social dialogue.

"

In the meantime, a notice from the CGT in schools, filed on the day of the start of the school year, is still in force in Marseille.

For its part, FO will file another strike notice for October 5, in order to protest against the pension reform.

Society

Marseille: The CGT calls the agents of the metropolis to go on strike this Friday

Marseilles

Marseille: The town hall finds a new agreement with the unions on the strike in schools

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  • Benoît Payan