Interprofessional strike: thousands of people on the street for wages

Europe 1 with AFP 6:17 p.m., October 18, 2022

"If we don't block anything, we won't be heard": tens of thousands of people took to the streets on Tuesday in France for the day of interprofessional "mobilization and strike" for a rise in wages and against the requisitions of strikers in refineries.

In Paris, the procession - with more than 70,000 demonstrators according to the CGT - set off around 2:15 p.m. from Place d'Italie, behind a banner calling for increases and "respect for the right to strike".

Late afternoon incidents in Paris

Incidents occurred at the end of the afternoon, with a few windows smashed by thugs and clashes, in particular with projectiles, between demonstrators dressed in black and the police.

The police headquarters reported 6 arrests.

The "rapid interventions" of the police against the thugs "allowed the procession to progress normally", according to a police source.

The demonstrators, who arrived at the invalids, had begun to disperse around 5:30 p.m.

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Shortly before the departure of the procession, the number one of the CGT Philippe Martinez pleaded for "an Orsec plan" on wages and promised that there would be "follow-ups" to this movement, already considered "stronger" than during the last day of action on September 29 in view of the number of professional fields called to stop work.

Nearly 150 assembly points were planned in France, according to the CGT, organizer of this day with FO, Solidaires, the FSU and the youth organizations Fidl, MNL, Unef and High School Life.

In Marseille, 2,200 people demonstrated according to the police, who counted 2,000 participants in Martigues.

Between 1,100 (police) and 1,300 (unions) answered the call in Strasbourg.

Including Nadine, 45, an employee in the metallurgy, who judges "a pity to come to a blocking point for things to move, but today if we don't block anything, we are not heard".

5% of strikers in the state civil service

They were also between 2,100 (police) and 7,000 (CGT) in Bordeaux.

And, according to the police, 3,650 in Le Havre, 1,800 in Montpellier, 2,200 in Lyon and 2,700 in Lille, around 800 in Dunkirk, 2,600 in Rennes, where the procession chanted "It can't last any longer, it's going to blow up".

In Nantes, the CGT has identified 4,000 participants, Toulouse, Bastia or Ajaccio, being also mobilized.

From the start of the morning, several high schools were blocked, especially in Paris.

The Ministry of Education announced a rate of strikers of 5.67%, climbing to 22.94% in vocational high schools mobilized against the reform wanted by the government.

In the state civil service 5.04% of strikers were counted at midday.

"Determined" railway workers

In transport, the strike was moderately followed at the RATP.

On the SNCF side, despite disturbances in the Paris region, there were no major problems on the network.

Asked about a possible continuation of the strike at the SNCF as the All Saints holidays approach, Philippe Martinez declared on RTL that "it is the employees on strike who will decide. As at TotalEnergies".

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The railway workers "are determined", said on Twitter the secretary general of the CGT-Cheminots, Laurent Brun, for whom the "trend" is in pursuit of the movement.

Trend: 1/3 of GA renew.

And the others are asking for a new day of action.

So in any case the railway workers are determined to obtain real salary increases.

Contrary to the lie of the HRD SNCF there was only 1.4% and 500€/year

— Laurent BRUN (@LaurentBRUN20) October 18, 2022

But at the RATP, he should not be renewed on Wednesday, according to Bertrand Hammache (CGT).

Two days after the "March against expensive living", the leader of LFI Jean-Luc Mélenchon came to support in an AG of railway workers, Gare de Lyon.

"We are at a time when all the components of the French people (...) must unite and form this popular front against the government which, for its part, will stop at almost nothing and which opposes 49.3 repeatedly", has he declared.

The CGT must decide on the continuation of the movement in the oil industry

In the oil industry, where the conflict started at the end of September, the CGT will decide on Tuesday evening on the continuation of the movement at TotalEnergies, in the refining and/or fuel depot teams.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne reported on Tuesday a "significant improvement" with less than 25% of service stations now deprived of fuel, instead of a third, during the session of questions to the government in the Assembly.

Some 400 people gathered in front of the Gravelines power station (North), the largest French nuclear power station, while the Cordemais coal power station (Loire-Atlantique) was also on strike.

The previous day of interprofessional mobilization, on September 29, brought together 118,500 people, including 13,500 in Paris according to the police (250,000 and 40,000 according to the organizers).

In addition to the subject of wages and the requisitions of strikers, other ingredients stir up social anger: the prospect of a 49.3 - "probably" Wednesday, according to government spokesman Olivier Véran - to have the budget adopted at the Assembly, the upcoming tightening of the rules for unemployment benefits or the pension reform expected for the end of the year.