November 16, 2007 The red lines of Sarko
By:
Luis Luque Álvarez
November 16, 2007 00:00:28 GMT A CubaNews translation by Ana
Portela. Edited by Walter Lippmann. Original: Regarding the “hot” autumn the unions had promised French president Nicolas Sarkozy. The strike of last October and the one that has France at a standstill since Tuesday, demonstrated that the warning was more than mere words. Transportation is semi-paralyzed in Paris with only 15 percent of buses working as well as only 20 percent of metro lines while there have been occasional cuts of electricity and generation has fallen. What is the reason for this clash between the government and unions? Well, it is the decision of the cabinet of the prime minister François Fillon to put an end to the special retirement regulations in exchange for a scheme by which workers of certain public sectors (mining, energy, transportation, among others) can retire at 50 or 55 after paying dues for 37,5 years and at full salaries. The reason behind this objective was to equate them with the rest of the workers (specially in private companies) who pay into the system for 40 years and retire at 65. At a brief glance, it seems that the intention of the government is to clean up public accounts (with a deficit of 12 billion euros) and increase competitiveness in France, a reasonable option. What’s wrong with having all tow the same line? Why privileges for some and strict rules for others? Surveys even claim the “popularity” of this measure. A survey published in Le Figaro reveals that 68 percent of the French people “disapprove” of the demands of the union and 71 percent expect the president not to give in. The majority agrees that all employees pay the same for the same time. Thus, vox populi, vox Dei, as the ancients used to say gives validity to something which was accepted by the majority. Only that the majority in history, merely for being just that, was not necessarily right. Patricio Arenas, a Cuban friend and in charge of Social Services in the Parisian mayoralty of Sevran, offered another view of the problem: “As you know there are jobs and there are jobs. Miners, iron and steel workers, those who are dying of contamination from asbestos poisoning, among others, have done hard and dangerous work all their lives and, consequently, the same system cannot be applied to everyone. Of course, “Sarko” demagogically takes advantage of this to say that it is unfair “that all should not have the same rights” and with this achieves a certain measure of putting the workers in contradiction.” In another way, he links this argument with the opinion of the General Labor Confederation which called a strike: “Put an end to the special regime of pensions”? – asks Patricio. No! The main objective of “Sarko” is to put an end to the system of pensions. Eliminate not only the special regimes but the entire system in order to apply another, “Made in the USA”. This is what the workers and students are protesting.” For Prime Minister Fillon, the reform is “non-negotiable”. To be so categorical could backfire because, if the strike spreads and the measure has to be withdrawn or modified, it would imply a high political cost. This already happened to former Prime Minister Alain Juppé when he presented the awkward reform of State of Welfare which lasted less than candy at the door of a school (1995-1997). Now companies, unions and government have given themselves a month to negotiate. Reduce the deficit? Yes, that would be a healthy measure. Perhaps many demonstrators would understand it. But the fear that Sarkozy feels with the same method of imposing without dialogue points to other conquests of social struggles, which is what bothers him and takes him out on the street. In a month the red lines can soften…
|
||||
|