Vive La Grève

What is a grève anyway?

Sure, it’s the French term for a strike, but a strike here is so much more than a few disgruntled employees taking to a picket line in front of their factory. It impacts the entire community—in this case, the entire country.

Because the way that French people do it is so darn unique, so serious, so engrained in their society as being a legal right, as being a way of political expression that English-speaking cultures do not have, merely using the English word does not do it justice.

The word grève doesn’t even really mean strike. It’s actually a place. Or at least used to be. Perhaps you’ve even been there, or heard about it from one of the annoying Bateaux Mouches soundtracks. It’s the square in front of the Hotel de Ville, which is Paris’ main city hall located in the 4^th between the Seine and Rue Rivoli. Until 1803, this square was called the Place de Grève (currently it’s the Place de l’Hotel de Ville).

I’ve actually come across more than one explanation for the history of the term grève. One story goes like this: the Place de Grève was where the unemployed came to look for jobs. The unemployed eventually became called “grèvists” and the term stuck when describing someone who didn’t work. A second one goes like this: The grèvists were more like pirates, waiting to steal the goods off of the cargo ships that unloaded their goods near the Place on the Seine. And yet a third goes like this: The Place de Grève was the muster point for protests against the government. Hence any movement by the people against government action (or inaction) became called a grève.

French people have had the right to grève since the Loi Olivier of May 25, 1864. It is a right they hold dear to their hearts. It’s the French way of voting with their feet. If they feel strongly enough about something, they stop working to let the government know how they feel about a certain issue.

What’s a typical grève?

A typical grève is a work stoppage that lasts for a day. It typically manifests as a work stoppage on the RATP and SNCF rail networks, centered in Paris. When you see a sign that announces a “mouvement social” or a “manifestation” to occur on Wednesday, you should know that the actual grève starts the evening before at 8 p.m. This is insider information that Parisians know but no one will ever tell you! So, if you know a grève will happen on Wednesday, be sure to leave work early enough on Tuesday to make the last train. I have been on trains and even a bus the evening before a grève and voila, the driver stops and gets out and . . . goes home, leaving you to fend for yourself.

What is this grève about?

This grève is about preserving special retirement plans that were put into place in the 17^th century for people who have physically demanding jobs. We’re talking jobs in sectors that had, back in the 1600s, high mortality rates. Like the guys who laid down the railroad iron, put the spikes in, dug mountain passes, and, of course, ballet dancers. Those special retirement packages, allowing those guys to relax at age 50 (ballet dancers get age 40) still exist for 1.6 million French people (1.1 million of whom are already retired). This small part of society costs the French state over 5 billion euros each year.

Sarko promised in his election to get rid of these perks because of the very high cost to the government. He won the election and is now trying to follow through on his promises.

This week, teachers, postal workers and students joined in the strike. Last week even EDF was in on it. All of the unions agree on this particular strike, which makes it stronger than usual.

What’s so special about this grève?

This grève, many people are saying, will rank up there with the grève of ’95, the one that crippled the country for three solid weeks and helped to bring down a presidency. The unions, this time, are determined not to budge and Sarko seems equally determined.

Remember that grève of the spring of 2003 when the teachers and doctors went on strike for weeks and weeks and school got to finish early? How many high school seniors flunked the BAC and didn’t make it to college then? I shall always wonder. I was pregnant and we couldn’t get an appointment for a regular check-up because all of the doctors were on strike. Here’s the kicker: these 2003 strikes, which I remember so well, were so insignificant in the great scheme of things that most people have forgotten them. Their reference points are usually 1995 and 1968, two years when the strikes were far more devastating that anything I have ever seen.

What’s so special about this strike is that all of the unions agree on it and it’s a renewable strike, which means that each day, the unions are able to vote to extend it for another 24 hours. And they’ve been doing that since last Tuesday night. And it affects the entire country—most grèves disrupt Paris proper.

There are plans for the higher-ups to meet with the government this week, but meanwhile they’re still extending the grève.

An environmental note: On a typical workday in Paris, two million cars transport (probably two million) people to work. On a typical grève day, 3.5 million cars are used. Sure, some people pedal or walk, but most opt for their cars. This adds an estimated 10,000 tons of CO2 to the air each day of a grève. Nice. Makes me want to breathe a little bit deeper next time I step out of my apartment.

Yesterday Andy took my video camera to the office with him to record his commute (which has been around two hours each way for the past week). As you will see, he even tried to Vélib! Click on the photo below to watch the video: