- This Tuesday, four major unions and collectives gave a meeting to the unhappy caregivers to loudly demand more resources for the public hospital.
- From Paris to Montpellier via Metz, Dunkirk and Bobigny, more than 220 gatherings are planned as part of this national action day.
- With the aim of mobilizing non-carers, who have discovered or measured the importance of a healthy hospital in the event of a health crisis.
"Caregivers, treated, all together", displays a caregiver on her overcoat during the demonstration on Tuesday. A beautiful summary of this Parisian procession which mixed doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, but also the general public. According to the police, 18,000 people, mostly nurses, have come together to demand increases in wages and staffing and the closure of the beds.
According to the unions, there were at least 30,000. For several months, the unions and collectives mobilized since March 2019 and who had organized a demonstration in November and February hoped to see their ranks grow. So far, the general public has not followed suit. To see so many masked walkers but without gowns, to question so many students, retired, active, present to say their support, it would seem that the coronavirus crisis has changed the situation.
Not just white blouses
In Paris, where the march started near the Ministry of Health to reach the Invalides, there were not only white coats. Avenue de Ségur, from 1 p.m., colored caps, red balloons from the CGT, blue overcoats with clear messages are blooming.
Three young caregivers, seated on a sidewalk, are looking for catchy phrases to tag on cardboard signs while a fanfare makes the mobilized dance.
We have the marching band, the drums, the whistles but we are still treading water at the demo for #hopitalpublic # June 16 pic.twitter.com/ceRDPUG5DO
- Oihana Gabriel (@OihanaGabriel) June 16, 2020The message from the unions and collectives, who had promised a large rally on June 16 and called on patients of today and tomorrow to join the mobilization, seems to have been heard. On the signs, which compete in humor and inventiveness, we notice that the support of a non-caring public mixes with the demands of the first interested parties.
"Tribute to the deceased, thank you to the citizens of the 1st line", "Do not fall asleep, the hospital has no bed", "I did not have the Covid, but you gave me the rage" ... Because the shortage of masks, tests, the contradictory speeches of power have not been erased in the memory of these citizens, despite the past epidemic peak.
"I think the Covid crisis helped to highlight our dissatisfaction," admits Barbara, a resuscitation nurse. Somewhere fortunately, because it is not every day that we have a pandemic… In my entourage, I had more non-caregivers who had planned to come than colleagues, whom I finally found! "
“Support not temporary, but long term! "
Some regretted all the same that the big gathering was held on a Tuesday and not a Saturday ... "Between applauding and demonstrating, for some, there is a chasm", nuance Sylvie, 54, accountant and activist at the CGT. Not for those who, like her, walked for hours in the capital on Tuesday. "Health is a subject for everyone and personally, I saw the emergencies deteriorate," said the quinqua, who came alone to express his dissatisfaction. A year ago, she had participated in sit-ins in front of several Parisian hospitals, with yellow vests.
"But there, with the coronavirus, I wanted to mobilize myself even more, there were so many lies," she storms, joining the procession. For many, it is urgent. "At our ages, we necessarily went through the hospital, our parents by an Ehpad and we saw the working conditions, breath Isabel, a 61-year-old protester. The budgetary management of health can only end badly. "
"Free health care for all is a fundamental right," explains Maxime, 32, an IT developer a little further. We gave Air France $ 7 billion and then we say that there is no more money for the public hospital, but what world do we live in? We applauded them every night to tell them our support, for me it's not temporary but long term! "At the hospital, the means are not there and we are caring for the caregivers to the detriment of their health and ours," adds Lucile, a 28-year-old teacher, crossed a little further in the procession. With several colleagues, she wears a funny "Little sign, BIG ANGER".
"I was born in Chile and I know perfectly well the neoliberal model that seems to please Macron," explains Patricia, a retiree who has lived in France for thirty-four years. Today, in Chile, everything is private, the poor die of thirst, hunger or the coronavirus. In France too, we are losing the sense of the collective. This causes anger in me not possible. We must resist… ”
A rage shared by Nicolas who holds high his sign "Support for caregivers, we are with you, we will be with you". "The Covid crisis underscored the urgency of mobilizing to defend the hospital, but also all of our public services," he said. We are told of restructuring, mass unemployment while dividends continue to water shareholders, it's a shame! "
Same support from Marianne, a 51-year-old teacher, under her sign: "We have applauded the hospital workers, we continue to support them". With her friends from the 19th collective to defend the public hospital, she walks alongside these "front lines" that have been praised so much, and that you quickly forget once the crisis has subsided. "I teach at the Robert Debré hospital, and I see the services deteriorate, even close sometimes, it's crazy! "
Put pressure on the Ségur
While the government opened negotiations in late May, called Ségur de la Santé, this is not the time to ease the pressure, she said. “The Ségur, the caregivers are unhappy with it. We really need to put a stop to this policy where the hospital is seen as a business, ”argues Marianne.
But this famous "Ségur de la santé" did not raise very much hope for the few demonstrators met. "The government makes announcements, but it is the party of publicity, in fact, they do nothing", annoys Nicolas. "We have all the time consultations that are then ignored by decision makers, sweeps Lucile, teacher, not very optimistic. We must make it felt that there is a whole people, the one who applauded every evening, behind these disgruntled caregivers! "
Find our file
As for the massive investment plan for the public hospital promised in March by the president, the evocation even made Chantal smile, a retiree who was in all the demonstrations for the hospital, but also against the pension reform. "If we are there it is because we do not believe in Macron's speech, it is limited if he did not feel guilty for going to demonstrate ..." And his friend Anne-Marie, also retired, hired to cut her : “The lack of mask, of means in hospitals, this is why they had to freeze the economy. The management of the crisis was done haphazardly! In any case, it will not go against the reforms it had planned to make. I share the caregivers' anger. Give them medals… which come from China in addition. What a shame ! In the speakers resounds, like an echo, the song of the nurses of Valence "there is anger in the catheter".
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Clashes at the end of the demonstration
According to AFP, scuffles broke out on Tuesday in Paris, on the sidelines of the caregivers' demonstration, with projectile jets to which the police responded with tear gas. "A vehicle has been turned over and degraded," also tweeted the prefecture of police, which reported 16 arrests at 4 p.m.
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