“It should no longer be a taboo subject in our country”, believes Senator LR who proposes to “sacralize” certain days in the year

The bill which aims to limit the right to strike in France arrives in the Senate this week. Before it was a “last resort”, today it is a “prerequisite”; defends the rapporteur of the text, Philippe Tabarot.

“It should no longer be a taboo subject in our country”, estimated Tuesday April 9 on franceinfo Philippe Tabarot, senator Les Républicains des Alpes-Maritimes and rapporteur of the bill which aims to limit the right to strike in France. The text arrives in the Senate. The objective of this law is to “to make a certain number of days sacred in our country” on the Italian model.

According to the senator, the strikes have “consequences for millions of people”but also for the “SNCF which loses more than 100 million of euros” every year. So much money that is not invested by the transport operator to “modernize” the network, he explains.

franceinfo: What is the idea of ​​your proposed law? ?

Philippe Tabarot: It is to sanctify a certain number of days in our country which are the days of big departures for school holidays which allow families to get together. These are so-called important events. It could be elections, major sporting and cultural events, exam days, especially baccalaureate days, for example. We could, in certain time slots and concerning certain staff, be able to provide a minimum service and be able, also in consultation with the unions upstream, to define these days.

Any moments where the strike could have more impact in some way?

For a long time, the strike was the last resort in our country, when discussions did not progress and social dialogue was interrupted. Today, we see that this has become a prerequisite.

“We are in the context of an agreement or a balance of power, or sometimes even blackmail. Things must be reversed.”

Philippe Tabarot, senator Les Républicains

at franceinfo

The right to strike is a constitutional right. We don’t question that. There are other freedoms as well, just as important, in our country: to be able to travel, to be able to undertake business, to be able to ensure continuity of public service. For all these reasons, we hope that this bill can succeed both during these periods, and then also in everyday life, which is strongly disrupted by permanent social movements, with a circumvention of the right to strike. For example, when there are slow strikes, 59-minute strikes in the middle of the day or notices that lie dormant for years and are called at the very last moment. This does not allow the operator to organize itself and, above all, to inform users.

The government is against your law. Don’t you feel like you’re blowing on the embers a few months before the Olympics?

We must act. The government is very bothered by this situation, in relation to the proximity of the Olympic Games and is very afraid of the reactions. But whether now or later, in any case, this subject will have to be addressed. It should no longer be a taboo subject in our country. This has consequences for millions of people, it has enormous financial consequences for transport operators, in particular the SNCF which loses more than 100 million euros which are not invested in the network each year. It is the SNCF which mainly invests in the network today to regenerate it, or even to modernize it. All that is lost in relation to strikes is less means that can be invested in the network. When there are too regular strikes, the French return to their mode of transport which is not a mode of public transport which is often “self-drive” and that is a shame.

In Germany, you have to be a union member and above all defend working conditions to go on strike and not make it an action to challenge the government. Are you heading towards this model?

I simply notice that in France we are the world record holders for strike days. It’s really sad. There are European examples which show that social dialogue can still take place. He expresses himself democratically and very freely. But we must be able to use what is good in a certain number of countries. The Italian example, particularly on the sanctification of certain days in the year, is an obvious example for us.