La CGT, which had rallied to its cause FO, Solidaires and the FSU, could only see, Tuesday, October 18, the limits of its strategy of trying to block the functioning of the economy to extract salary increases. Even if certain sectors, such as nuclear power plants, regional trains and professional high schools, were more affected than others, the day of interprofessional mobilization to which Philippe Martinez, the general secretary of the CGT, had called did not triggered the tidal wave that would have forced Elisabeth Borne to convene a “Grenelle des salaries” without delay.
Based on the majority wage agreement signed on October 14 at TotalEnergies by the CFDT and the CFE-CGC, aware of the growing exasperation of users forced into long queues in front of gas pumps, the Prime Minister s On the contrary, it is said to be ready for new requisitions in the refineries, where the strike was renewed on Tuesday, with, in its line of sight, the All Saints’ Day holidays which begin at the end of the week.
This lost bet of the CGT should not lead to minimizing the salary issue. Against a backdrop of rising inflation and the announced decline in purchasing power (INSEE expects a decline of 1% in 2022), the defense of the payroll has logically become a central concern of the French in a particularly troubled economic context: while multinationals like TotalEnergies benefit from a very comfortable oil income, many businesses, often medium and small, are bearing the brunt of the soaring energy bill. The protracted conflict in Ukraine also makes a recession plausible.
Contain the feeling of injustice
The necessary negotiations must therefore take place as close as possible to the field, in the branches and in the companies, by activating the whole range of available tools: permanent increases and/or bonuses linked to results. Labor shortages in many sectors such as hotels, restaurants or food trades place employees in a less unfavorable balance of power than in recent years.
The spiral that triggered the conflict at TotalEnergies should not be minimized either. It tells the story of a company which, thanks to a circumstance beyond its control, makes a record profit, readjusts the remuneration of its CEO in the process, serves its shareholders copiously to then be pushed around by the unions. who feel like they are fighting for crumbs. If, at the proclaimed hour of sobriety, the leaders of large groups do not realize that they must change their behavior, their responsibility for the aggravation of the democratic crisis will weigh heavily.
To contain the feeling of injustice, the State must also play its part. However, the government has blocked itself by excluding touching the tax weapon and by basing most of its action on public expenditure. The various energy shields have certainly attenuated the shock of inflation on the portfolio of the French, but they are proving to be costly and difficult to extend over time, due to the scale of the budget deficit and the weight of the debt. The role of taxation as a regulatory tool cannot therefore be dismissed out of hand, even if it cannot constitute a solution to all the problems. Due to a high compulsory levy rate, the country has little room for manoeuvre. This should not prevent it from stepping up the fight on the European and global levels, where the taxation of superprofits remains to be implemented.