Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Massive demonstrations have begun in France to urge wage increases in a context of high inflation.
On Tuesday 18/10/2022 the French trade unions started a national strike. The strike will have national coverage, with the strike in the capital Paris starting at 12.00.
This action is expected to affect the public sector such as schools and transport. Previously, the oil refinery workers union had also done the same thing to ruin the fuel supply.
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In connection with this, Indonesian citizens (WNI) living in France have spoken openly about the conditions that have occurred.
Rina, an Indonesian citizen who now lives in the southern French city of Toulouse, said the residents were prepared for the mass strike.
“The people here are ready if basic ingredients are scarce in the next few days,” he told CNBC Indonesia on Tuesday (10/18/2022).
He revealed that supermarket shelves began to empty before the demonstration. According to him, there are fears that shops will remain closed for a long period of time, such as during previous major demonstrations or when the Covid-19 pandemic began to spread there.
“So there could also be trauma if the basic needs are really tough [didapatkan]”He said.
Meanwhile, rail operator Eurostar said it was canceling several trains between London and Paris due to the strike. French public rail operator SNCF said traffic on local links decreased by 50% but there were no major disruptions on national lines.
Not only that, it is also expected that important maintenance works for European power supplies will be postponed after the strike also carried out on the nuclear giant EDF.
French government spokesman Olivier Veran said there could be more staff requests during the day. This is because drivers continue to queue in front of petrol stations when public transport is down.
“There will be any demands deemed necessary … Shutting down the refinery when we have reached an agreement on wages, this is not a normal situation,” Veran said. Reuters.
Meanwhile, the CGT oil refinery union has called for a strike to continue for a fourth week at TotalEnergies. Although the company had reached a deal that included a 7% raise and a bonus, CGT demanded a 10% salary increase, citing inflation and the company’s huge profits.
Previously, President Emmanuel Macron also spoke. He said the fuel crisis had already happened and he wanted a solution as soon as possible.
Indeed, inflation in France is not as high as other European countries which have hit double digits. In September 2022, annual inflation in France was “only” 5.6% after falling from 5.9% yoy the previous month.
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