Michelin workers called to join French unions strike

Paris – Michelin workers have been called to take part in a nationwide strike in France on 2 Oct, following a similar action held two weeks earlier.

In a statement on 1 Oct, trade union CGT Michelin urged employees to join demonstrations at 10am in Place des Carmes, Clermont-Ferrand, where Michelin is headquartered.

The union said the mobilisation would involve “all sectors, factories, services and offices” in support of demands for “social justice.”

The strike, organised by French unions, is aimed at forcing the government to abandon planned austerity measures.

These include the “doubling of medical deductibles” and what unions call a “blank year” – a freeze on the indexation of pensions, social benefits, civil service salaries and the public services budget.

Other demands concern “the elimination of 3,000 civil service positions, reform of unemployment insurance, and proposed changes to the labour code and May Day.”

Unions held a similar day of action 18 Sept and representatives met Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on 24 Sept to raise their concerns.

According to CGT Michelin, no response has yet been received to their demands.