This Thursday, December 5, a major strike by the French education system is expected to take place all over France, and particularly in Paris! The national education unions, supported by organizations such as the FSU, UNSA Éducation and SUD Éducation, have confirmed their call to demonstrate on December 5, 2024.
This mobilization, the first in a planned series, mainly targets the measures introduced by the Minister of Health, Guillaume Kasbarian. These reforms include the extension of the waiting period for sick leave, a divisive measure. Currently set at one day, this period could be extended to three days, a change that the unions consider profoundly unfair. They denounce the increased insecurity of the most modest employees, particularly women, who are often over-represented in these professional categories.
The impact on sick pay is also at the heart of our demands. A reduction in compensation from 100% to 90% is seen as a social step backwards, worsening already difficult conditions. This decision comes on top of the announced 4,000 job cuts in schools, a measure criticized for its repercussions on the quality of teaching and teachers' working conditions.
The unions are calling for the outright withdrawal of these reforms, described as the "Kasbarian measures". Their demands also include an increase in the index point, reinstatement of the GIPA, and genuine status for AESHs (assistants for pupils with disabilities). They are also calling for an unconditional pay rise and the creation of new posts to reduce class sizes.
At the same time, the government's decision to cut the civil service budget by 1.2 billion euros by 2025, announced by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, is fuelling anger. According to the unions, this budget cut could jeopardize the operation of public schools.
The slogan "Toutes et tous en grève le 5 décembre" ("Everyone on strike on December 5") reflects the determination of a movement that could extend to other sectors of the civil service. While some unions, such as FO, prefer to act independently by proposing a reconductible strike, the December 5 event promises to be a major mobilization for the national education system and beyond.
