The French, who love strikes, kidnapped the Olympics this time

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Author |Mu Zitong.

Editing, Cartography丨Slag County.

This article was first published in Tiger Sniff Young Content*** That NG" (ID: huxiu4youth). Here, we present the faces, stories and attitudes of today's young people.

I have only heard of the police rescuing hostages, and I have never heard of the police taking the lead in kidnapping tickets.

Recently, however, the French police have done a big deal.

Not only did they "kidnap" one of the most important "guests" of the year, but they also managed to "blackmail" France**.

"Mr. Macron, you don't want your Olympics to be a mess either, do you? ”

If you want to say that France's number one guest this year, it is, of course, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. As long as you hold the Olympics, you can pinch the lifeblood of France.

In order to hold this grand event in Paris after a hundred years, France** has been preparing for 7 years. The money that should be spent is spent, the tickets that should be sold are sold, and they are just waiting for the summer to be a hit.

Unexpectedly, summer has not yet arrived, and this large cake that has been framed has become a fragrant meat ticket first.

All parties and functional departments related to the Olympics are planning to threaten to sabotage the Olympics in order to force ** to agree to some conditions that would never be agreed to in normal times, such as holidays and salary increases.

The first to stretch out the hand of sin is none other than the police, who are supposed to maintain order.

In January, 300 police officers, led by the unitésgp-fo, the country's largest police union, boarded several double-decker tourist buses and sang the national anthem, La Marseillaise, while passing through the fog of smoke bombs.

They said: "* neglect, the Olympics are in danger".

Ignoring the dangers associated with the Olympics is certainly not a sufficiently necessary relationship, but the subtext is obvious: can't satisfy us? Then you don't want this Olympics!

It is the full-load security mechanism that puts the police on the streets during the Olympics. The France** program requires all police officers on duty not to be on leave during the Olympic Games from July 26 to September 8.

The ideal is very full, the reality is very French: it just so happens that this time is just in time for the French police to spend their holidays in previous years, and this time the Gallic rooster is gone.

The Olympics can not be held, and the class cannot be held for one more day.

The demonstrator police pointed out that they would be greatly troubled by the unbridled general mobilization: "Imagine a two-police family with no relatives to help take care of their children, and all the day-care centers were closed in August, what would they do? ”

* Initially prepared to fool the past with the flatbread of compensatory leave, French Interior Minister Darmanin promised to provide 10 days of compensatory leave for all police officers involved in the Olympics.

However, this does not appease the experienced French police, after all, a large part of their job is to observe how others fight against **.

In the face of the temptation of **, they were unmoved, and hinted that if the problem is not properly solved, then many police officers may be forced to "miss work" at that time.

As soon as the threat of "strike" came out, ** also understood: in a word, the work is not impossible for you to do, but you have to add money.

Generally speaking, ** does not compromise quickly. However, this time, after only 2 days of parade, Darmanin spat out, after all, this time the "hostage" is the Olympics.

In the end, the French Ministry of the Interior promised not only to retain 10 days of compensatory leave, but also to pay up to 1,900 euros per police officer who continued to work during the Olympics.

Although this amount is still less than the 2,000 euros demanded by the police union, it is already much higher than the 500 euros proposed by the Ministry of the Interior last year, and given that the current minimum wage in France is 1,480 euros, this subsidy is equivalent to compensating 13 salaries.

The French police's "Olympic blackmail scheme" has won so far, and they are just ordinary members of this Olympic free ride.

Even in France, where strikes have a long history, the "Olympics" are one of the few super-quality opportunities.

It's like a seven-tiered cake at a wedding, and any one of them stretches out to it is enough to make the couple shout on the spot and sign a three-foot-long unequal treaty.

The request for a salary increase of 100 times is outrageous, and France** can also tearfully agree, such as issuing status to illegal immigrants on the spot.

Last October, the La Chapelle stadium under construction was occupied by 120 workers who were employed by Bouygues Construction, the stadium's construction company, but decided to strike and halt the work.

Because these workers are all "undocumented immigrants", commonly known as black households, they have no status, so they are the most favored cheap labor in construction companies, and can only do the hardest and most insecure jobs.

After the kidnapping of La Chapelle, the hackers made a bold demand: they demanded that all undocumented workers who were hired be allowed to be legalized, including those who were working on the construction site, and all those who were fired that year.

As a result, after 12 hours of not very difficult negotiations, the Paris City Hall and Bouygues agreed.

As Jules Boykov, author of Game of Thrones: A Political History of the Olympics, points out, "free-riding the Olympics" is a typical and effective activity strategy for disadvantaged groups:

"Activists often shout that the whole world is watching, and when it comes to the Olympics, this is indeed true, and above all, the Olympics are an inequality machine, so it is not surprising that undocumented workers or trade unions in France would take advantage of the moment, use the event to their political advantage, and subvert the state of exception so that they can get some proper benefits for their members. ”

This does not mean that France's public transport sector will go on strike for seven months, but that the unions may strike at any time during the seven months, including the Olympic Games.

As for whether it is really implemented, it depends on whether the ** coaxes the mood of the workers.

At the same time, taxi drivers, farmers, health care workers, tourism service workers and railway employees are also on strike or preparing to strike, but the aviation sector, which needs to carry a large number of international tourists, has promised an "Olympic truce".

The Olympics have not yet arrived, and they have really worked for the welfare of the French people, but in such a form that no one expected.

I am afraid that it is difficult to find a country in the world that loves strikes more than France, and since the beginning of the French Revolution, the people who have come out of the barricades have eaten the sweetness of struggle.

Pre-pandemic statistics show that the average number of strike days per 1,000 French employees per year is 114, far exceeding Belgium's 91 days, Spain's 54 days, and Germany's 18 days.

However, another feeling from the news reports is that the three-day two-headed strike march does not seem to have changed the country for the better.

The French Observatory of the Economic Situation ** shows that by the end of 2024, the unemployment rate in France will increase from 7 in 20232% rises to 79%, economic growth continues to slow.

France also seems to be getting more and more chaotic for tourists. Theft and violence are frequent, even to the police.

A few days ago, there was also a rather hilarious news: a backpack containing a security plan for the Paris Olympics had been stolen from a train in Paris.

So what does the strike mean for the French? Did the strike really change France for the better?

For East Asians, who rarely experience strikes, there are naturally some hurdles to understand this.

Influenced by history books and film and television dramas, we will always define it as some kind of major event, as if if we will be beheaded and bleeding if we don't get it right.

However, Uncle Lin, an old Chinese who has lived in France for 36 years, pointed out that this is an illusion, and that strikes are like the common occurrence of the French.

Uncle Lin also participated in the strike, which lasted only one day, and the appeal was very down-to-earth: there were not enough toilets in the company, and the union demanded that the boss add two more toilets.

It's hard to imagine that such a small thing is worth a strike, but in France it is worth it.

Because for the French, the strike is just a matter of tea and dinner, the cost is not high, and there is no need to pay a high price.

The law prohibits companies from terminating employees on the grounds of a strike, hires new employees to replace them during a legitimate strike, and prohibits any union leader from dismissal.

Of course, companies don't have to pay workers during strikes, but no wages don't mean no income.

Many large, established unions will provide financial subsidies to strikers, such as the French Democratic League of Labor (CFDT), which will provide 7Subsidy of 7 euros per hour.

Based on a 35-hour workweek and a four-week workday, this means that the strikers will receive 1,078 euros per month, which is enough to support a temporary excess.

There are no worries, so naturally you will strike if you want to.

But again, where does the union's money come from? Why can such an organization of the poor and the masses still afford to pay everyone's wages?

But the wealth of the unions must not be underestimated.

For example, the French National Trade Union Action** (CNAS) currently has 1With 500 million euros at its disposal, it will not only keep the unions running and subsidize striking workers, but also provide legal support to strikers and reimburse them for appeals.

It is partly funded by dues paid by trade union members, partly from ** and corporate subsidies, and partly from its own asset management.

Since every salaried Frenchman is required to donate 0016% to trade unions, gathering sand into a tower, French trade unions are notoriously rich in cash.

Not to mention, every time a big event happens, donations from all over the country pour into union accounts.

These donations come from ordinary people who support the strikers' actions. Bringing it into the lives of the locals, it seems difficult to understand why ordinary people donate money to strikers.

The strike meant that ordinary citizens had to wake up several hours early and squeeze into pies on one of the few overcrowded trams that were still in operation, and it also meant that the price of eggs from 4 to 5 was increased to 6 per box. This affects normal life, and not scolding people is already considered to be full of self-cultivation, why do you have to recharge for the strike?

Because in the eyes of many, the strikers are not just troublemakers, but also their own "**".

Not everyone has the ability to participate in a strike, and not everyone is doing a lot of work after a strike. At least I believe that a youtuber will stop for a few days and not feel any trouble.

And many people who lack the ability to strike and have some demands will choose "some people will support the personal field, and those who have money will support the money field":

Many people decided to work as usual, but the wages were used for strikes** as a sign of solidarity. ”

This is also known as a "strike". With the financial backing of more strikers, those on the front lines of the strike can fight longer, and once they win, everyone will share in the benefits of the new regulations.

This phenomenon is particularly evident in issues of general concern to society, such as last year's anti-pension reform strike, in which an online donation pool easily raised more than 400,000 euros in less than 15 days.

In other words, trade unions are like political parties in the workplace, and donation money is like votes, representing the will of the people.

There is a joking saying about the French: "Work in the spring, vacation in the summer, strike in the fall, and celebrate the holidays in the winter." ”

Throughout the year, I didn't suffer much from going to work.

While most countries in the world still have a 40-hour workweek, France has been the first to achieve a 35-hour workweek, and not only that, but it is also known for the number of holidays.

In addition to the 11 statutory public holidays, there are 30 paid rest days per year. If you work more than 35 hours per week, you can also apply for Reduced Working Hours (RTT), which means that the excess working hours are combined into one day or half a day and are taken as a full holiday.

In many cases, this is attributed to the free, romantic, uninhibited nature of the French, but the French know that there is no such thing as natural freedom, and this is the result of the struggle won by the strike.

The French are generally grateful and tolerant of strikes that bring them tangible benefits. Even in the latter part of last year's protracted anti-delayed retirement strike, only 30 percent of French people were hostile to the strike, and more than half of the French still supported it.

However, there are exceptions.

Recently, some strikes have also aroused widespread resentment.

For example, the French railway sector, a state-owned enterprise that goes on strike frequently every year, is seen as an example of a vested interest in getting cheap and selling off.

In France, the benefits of railway workers have accumulated to a staggering level:

Not only do you enjoy a good salary, but you can also retire a few years earlier than the average French person, and get more retirement salary. During their working years, they have low-cost housing provided by the company, a variety of subsidies, and more paid time off. Spouses and children can enjoy 16 discounted train tickets per year, and parents and parents-in-law can also enjoy 4 free tickets per year. This job is still an iron rice bowl.

This is a legacy of the steam age and the result of the annual strikes in the railway sector.

And for the railway sector with such favorable conditions, it is difficult for ordinary people to empathize: why are you going on strike when you are already so happy?

Anger often peaks on the commute, like the roaring uncle of the roader in a rail strike

"I'm going to work! But there are no cars! You people, hurry up and get me back to work!! ”

In fact, while France still leads the way in the number of strike days, the frequency of strikes in society as a whole is decreasing.

In 2010, there were 36% of French companies have experienced at least one strike, and by 2020 this proportion had fallen to 12%。

Only large companies continue to maintain a high strike frequency, with 23 companies employing more than 500 people in 202064% said there had been at least one day of strike.

On the one hand, it is because only strikes by large state-owned enterprises such as aviation, public transportation, and telecommunications departments have sufficient deterrent effect, and on the other hand, small companies are afraid that they will not be able to withstand the toss of strikes due to economic recession.

At the same time, the number of French workers joining trade unions is decreasing, and France is one of the countries with the fewest union membership in Europe.

In terms of the percentage of unionized employees alone, the EU average is 23%, while in France it is 11%. Not only is it far less than Belgium (50%), which also loves strikes, but it is also lower than Germany (18%), which rarely strikes.

For a country that loves strikes so much in France, this percentage is simply surprisingly low.

However, this does not mean that the French no longer like strikes, nor does it mean that strikes lose their market in France. On the contrary, it symbolizes that strikes are becoming more and more routine in France.

The French can also be irritated and irritated by the disruption of strikes to their daily lives, but these troubles are not a reason to blame the strikers, because another recurring perception in the mouths of Uncle Limber and others is more deeply rooted:

"It's their right. ”

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