French firefighters will ensure that their summer-long strike will not affect public safety, which is a priority, and an adequate number of firemen will still be on duty in each department across the country, Jerome Francois, the UNSA-SDIS trade union secretary general, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2019) French firefighters will ensure that their summer-long strike will not affect public safety, which is a priority, and an adequate number of firemen will still be on duty in each department across the country, Jerome Francois, the UNSA-SDIS trade union secretary general, told Sputnik.Last week, seven major trade unions of French firemen, including UNSA-SDIS, announced a national strike to last until the end of August. The firefighters demand a salary reevaluation and comprehensive rescue service reform to exempt them from excessive duties. The strike comes amid extremely high temperatures in Europe that increase the risk of fires and may even affect the work of nuclear power plants, a French major source of energy, as the rivers have got too hot to cool the reactors, according to French major electricity company EDF.
"We will not put anything in danger, because we have our professional consciousness and we will not put our compatriots in danger ... Each department has a prefect who is in charge of ensuring security distribution. So the prefect will requisite firefighters to make them work so that security is ensured. Firefighters declared a strike but a necessary number is commandeered every day to ensure security," Francois said.
He added that the decision to go on strike was the result of firefighters' growing dissatisfaction with the current national rescue service system and had gained support of the absolute majority of trade unions.
"For years there's been dissatisfaction among firemen ... Now seven labor unions came to agreement, and they represent 85 percent of firemen. Two organizations did not want to join us but their demands are the same. So I'd say that 100 percent of firefighters support our claims," Francois added.
The movement thereby has taken on a national scale, with all the departments joining the strike, according to the secretary general.
