“It’s as if millions of people in precarious situations did not exist,” laments the FAS

The precarious are “responsible for the crisis of the middle classes” and “in poverty because they do not want to work”, summarizes, dismayed, the president of the Federation of Solidarity Actors, Pascal Brice.

“It’s as if the millions of people in situations of poverty and precariousness had been left in a kind of black hole”, laments Wednesday January 31 on franceinfo Pascal Brice, president of the Federation of Solidarity Actors, the day after the Prime Minister’s general policy speech to the National Assembly. Gabriel Attal notably promised a reform of low wages for the middle classes, the generalization of 15 hours of weekly activity for RSA beneficiaries in all departments as well as a revision of the rules of unemployment insurance if its financial trajectory “of life”.

This general policy statement “leaves a strange and not very pleasant impression” to Pascal Brice. Listening to the words of the head of the executive, he had the feeling that the French in situations of precariousness and poverty “did not exist, except to make them responsible for the crisis of the middle classes, or to push their heads a little further [en disant] that they are in poverty because they don’t want to work.”

Pascal Brice assures that he has many “very specific proposals” to do to the government “to debureaucratize, unlock social work”. He mentions in particular the “1.5 million social workers, all paid the minimum wage or barely above”. Moreover, the president of the Federation of Solidarity Actors wonders if these workers are part of the French people Gabriel Attal spoke about the day before, assuring that he wanted “support the middle classes”. Pascal Brice does not know “Who [le Premier ministre] speak”if it is about “precarious middle classes or upper middle classes who, in reality, are doing well”.

“If it’s about helping the upper classes stay safe, we’re walking on our heads”

Pascal Brice regrets a certain “ambiguity, ambivalence” and calls on the government to be clearer on this because it cannot understand “if it is a question of providing answers to these men and women who in the middle classes are precarious, so that their work can finally pay off”. “Are the tax cuts really going to go to these middle class people who can no longer make ends meet or to an upper middle class?”he asks himself.

The president of the Federation of Solidarity Actors points in particular to the revision of the SRU law desired by Gabriel Attal. During his general policy speech, the Prime Minister announced that he wanted to review the quota of social housing imposed by the law relating to solidarity and urban renewal. Pascal Brice criticizes this decision, evoking in particular the current context, with “this historic crisis of social housing in France”.

While he welcomes the fact that the government wishes “simplify, debureaucratize and empower local elected officials”he does not understand that the executive wants “reduce the pressure on municipalities that are exempt from the construction of social housing so that they can build housing for the upper middle classes”. “If it’s a question of helping cities that ensure that the upper middle and upper classes are well protected from anything, we’re walking on our heads,” castigates Pascal Brice.