French police rally to demand better pay during Paris Olympics
French police officers held protests in Paris and other cities on Thursday to demand extra pay during this year's Paris Olympics – underlining the threat of strikes and disruption to the Games.
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Some 30,000 police officers are expected to be on duty during the Games, which will take place in Paris from 26 July until 11 August – usually the peak of the summer holiday period in France.
"For an exceptional event, exceptional measures," the Alliance police union wrote in a statement that explained unions were demanding up to €2,000 for their members in compensation for lost holidays and extra work over the summer Games.
Thirteen police unions urged officers to respect "minimum activity" on Thursday, while protests were held in Paris, Strasbourg and Bordeaux – with other demonstrations planned by night-shift workers.
Sylvain André, an Alliance spokesman in Strasbourg, said some 300 police stations were blocked across France on Thursday and "only emergencies were being handled".
'Lack of information'
On top of pay issues, police are worried about the lack of information for their working hours over the intense Olympics period.
Lionel Maunier, departmental secretary for Alliance, said the government had remained vague on the matter.
"We simply know that there will be 100 percent required presence, including 30 percent of Strasbourg staff in Paris between 24 July and 11 August," he told the French news agency AFP.
"We have children; some of us are also caregivers. We don't know how we're going to organise ourselves, we can't plan ahead," he said.
Aware of the risk to the country's image, French authorities are scrambling to agree pay deals with a host of public sector trade unions who are using the Olympics as leverage to secure bonuses for their members.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin met police representatives on Monday and has organised a fund for the Games of around €500 million for the security forces, sources close to the negotiations told AFP on condition of anonymity.
France is banking on its first Olympics in 100 years to showcase the best of the country – from the historic monuments of Paris to its role as a global centre of food, fashion and sporting excellence.
Organisers are desperate to avoid reinforcing France's reputation for violent street protests and industrial disputes.
The country was shaken by so-called "Yellow Vest" anti-government protests in 2018, massive strikes against pension reform last year, as well as urban riots in June.
"The Olympics are a double-edged sword for the image of a country," communications expert Philippe Moreau Chevrolet, who founded the Paris-based MCBG Conseil PR agency, told AFP.
A major security problem or disruption can wipe out any benefits of playing host, he explained.
Risk of strike action
Pay negotiations are also underway between French authorities and health workers, drivers for Paris metros, trains and buses, as well as municipal employees such as street cleaners.
Holidays during the Games have been banned for many state employees, while extra weekend and late-night work will be demanded for tens of thousands of them.
"It's being dealt with ministry by ministry, taking into the account the status and requirements for each profession," Michel Cadot, who heads the government's Games coordination committee, told a Senate hearing on Wednesday.
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He told the hearing that the overall budget for the Games remained unknown in part because the government could not anticipate how much it would need to spend in bonuses for public sector workers.
On Wednesday, the hard-left CGT union demonstrated in front of the headquarters of the Olympics organising committee in northern Paris to denounce the government suspending the right to a weekend break during the Games for some workers.
Unless the government reverses its decree, unions say they'll launch high-impact operations during the Games.
"We'll go on strike wherever it is possible," said Amar Lagha, head of the CGT's branch representing the private-sector service industry and retail workers.
The Paralympics run after the Olympics from 28 August to 8 September.
(with AFP)
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