Legislative in France: Rachel Keke, a former chambermaid in the Assembly
The Franco-Ivorian Rachel Keke, elected under the label of Nupes in the 7th constituency of Val-de-Marne.
AFP - JOEL SAGET
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Among the newly elected members of this National Assembly, a Franco-Ivorian, Rachel Keke, elected under the label of Nupes.
She had led the struggle of the chambermaids of an Ibis hotel in Paris to obtain better working conditions.
A new face in the Assembly and which promises to detonate.
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Rachel Keke readily describes herself as a warrior.
At 48, the mother of five children never lets go, and it is not the management of the Ibis hotel in Batignolles, in the north of Paris, who could contradict her.
Rachel Keke and the other chambermaids had gone on strike for 22 months before beating the hotel group by winning a historic agreement with, as a result, wage increases and better working conditions.
Before that, Rachel Keke was a shadow worker.
Hairdresser, governess, invisible yet essential jobs that she did when she arrived in France at the age of 26 after leaving Abidjan following the military coup of December 1999.
Her fight for the poorly paid, the ignored workers, she promises to continue in the National Assembly.
"
I am the voice of the voiceless, I am a chambermaid, cleaning lady, security guard, caregiver, home help, I am all these invisible professions, and in the National Assembly these professions will be visible
" .
On the strength of her narrow victory (50.30%) against the former Minister of Sports Roxana Maracineanu, Rachel Keke will sit alongside France Insoumise within the left alliance in the Assembly.
► To read also:
Legislative 2022: surprises and misfortunes of the French election
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French politics
French legislative 2022