France: civil service strike to test minimum service law.

Teachers are striking as part of a wider civil service strike in protest at government attacks on virtually every aspect of their quality of life. Workers are defending their pay, their working week, job security, staffing levels, pensions and service requirements. Unions have called for the action which is expected to be widely observed.

Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris, announced that he would refuse to organise a minimum service so as not to break strikes or turn workers against each other. Xavier Darcos, the education minister responded "For a teacher to strike isn't about pissing off families to the maximum (l'emmerdement maximum) it is to not teach." Mr Darcos is therefore demanding that striking teachers act as unpaid babysitters. He has also proposed that docked wages of strikers be used to pay for temporary staff to cover absences during strikes.

The minister has proposed that communes make 'voluntary agreements' with the government to provide reception service during strikes, which will supervise pupils rather than teach them.A payment of 90 euros will be made to the commune for each group of 15 pupils supervised during strikes. This is likely to be a strong coercive measure as under the current system schools are not reimbursed for money spent on cover. An average strike day with 40% observance relates to a €35M saving on wages for the government.