En Grève

Last semester, I had the following discussion with a French colleague:

Me: “Are you going to have classes this Thursday? I heard there was going to be a strike.”
Him (smiling): “Yeah, I’ll be here.”
…at this point, I think he could see that I was a little confused.
Him (still smiling, kind of laughing): “Is this your first strike in France?”
Me: “Yeah…”
Him: “Haha, well it won’t be your last one!”

Well, he was correct. This has been an especially active year in terms of French strikes due to the reforms proposed by Sarkozy’s government. I have become the most familiar with the “Darkos reform,” Darkos being the Minister of Education and his reform a significant change to the structure of French high schools. This Thursday (Jan. 29th) will be the fourth strike by either teachers or students (or both) this school year. And, apparently Thursday’s strike isn’t just for the education sector.

According to tonight’s news, the strike will include teachers, SNCF workers (the French train network), and administrative workers. My first thought upon hearing this was, “Crap! How am I going to get to Valence to see the teachers’ protest if the trains are on strike?!”

I wish I could say this is the first time I’ve had that problem…rather, I have to say that anyone learning to speak French should learn the word “Grève” (strike) around the same time they learn “Bonjour,” “Merci,” “Pardon,” and “Oui.” That is to say, it’s one of the most basic and commonly used words in the French vocabulary.

One would think that a right used so commonly would be effective, right? Well, the following conversation occurred tonight with the girl I tutor:
Me: “So, why do the French strike so much? Does it accomplish anything?”
Her (laughing): “No, it never accomplishes anything.”
Me: “Okay, well…”
Her: “I guess it’s just a way to remind them that we’re there. That we have a voice.”

Okay, I get that. I understand that even if your action hasn’t accomplished anything, you can at least live with the satisfaction that you weren’t silent while changes occurred. HOWEVER, isn’t the fact that the French “over-strike” part of the reason that no changes are made? After all, there’s a reason that the government isn’t responsive to strikes, the same way that there’s a reason the government can’t be over-ambitious in their reforms. Both are directly related to the fact that strikes are so predictable that while the government cannot take drastic actions toward change (invoking too much striking), they can still take petites actions as long as they put up with a day of repos (and maybe a protest) in related sectors.

This morning, I heard an interesting comment on the radio (a comment which, in turn, enraged the radio show’s host). The show’s guest claimed, “You can’t strike against the economic crisis.” I found this to be incredibly accurate, as the majority of Thursday’s strikes are in response to job cuts (or fewer renewals of temporary contracts). Due to the large percentage of the French population that is employed by the government, of course the government is cutting jobs! Just as Americans, Japanese, Brits, Australians, etc. are losing jobs due to the crisis, so are the French. However, the French tend to point fingers at the government rather than acknowledging the gravity of the world’s economic crisis. Naturally, they respond à la Français and take a day off of work to fight against that which is simply reality.

The French are simply resistant…any American word that begins to make it into their language is replaced by an official French word (e.g., “Chewing gum” and “Internet” both have official French versions which nobody knows/uses). However, it is inevitable that France’s resistance to change will catch up with it eventually, and it will likely be during the current economic crisis. If the power of Thursday’s strike proves me wrong and the people get everything they want, you can all say, “I told you so.” But, I have to say: the odds (and basic logic) are against the people on this one.

(For an great article that includes a reference to France's love of striking, see the following link: http://bygonebureau.com/2009/01/23/the-rambling-american-mirror-mirror-on-the-wall/)