There are those who defend the strikers at all costs, and those who don't have enough words to attack them.
For several days, the truce of the confectioners has been tainted by the surprise movement of the SNCF controllers.
Paralyzing for some 200,000 French people, who planned to travel to celebrate Christmas with their families this weekend, the situation also divides the political class.
Emmanuel Macron, his government and his majority quickly made a choice: that of siding with travelers, prevented from boarding their trains for the end of year celebrations, after two years marked by major health restrictions.
Since Tuesday, ministers and deputies have therefore decided to go to the front, and to hammer calls for “
responsibility
”, hoping to prevent the scenario from repeating itself for the New Year weekend.
A burst of energy, however, confined to speeches, since the executive has no capacity for direct action in this type of internal conflict in companies.
All the more so when the protesters form their collective outside the traditional union field, as was the case in this showdown.
If certain macronists, like the number two of Horizons Christian Estrosi, went so far as to demand the requisitioning of personnel - an option swept away by the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune, for lack of legal justification -, the State did not have need to use force to calm things down: the SNCF agreed to "
additional measures
", resulting in the signing of an agreement this Friday, and therefore the lifting of the strike notice which threatened next weekend.
Read alsoStrikes: the boss of the SNCF must come out of the crisis with the unions
Too late, in the eyes of the Republicans, who have not digested the events that have taken place this week.
From the first train cuts, the new president of LR, Éric Ciotti, deplored on social networks that a “
minority of strikers took thousands of people hostage
”.
As for the boss of the right-wing senators, Bruno Retailleau, he for his part felt that the strikers should "
be ashamed of spoiling the Christmas of so many families
".
MP Pierre-Henri Dumont also called for "
this scandalous strike
" to "
end as soon as
possible ".
On the left, the voices that made themselves heard have conversely adopted a radically different tone.
If the socialists and the ecologists are rather discreet, the Insoumis, them, do not hesitate to be the defenders of this collective.
Deputy LFI-Nupes and former employee of the SNCF, Thomas Portes has multiplied the speeches to relay the “
legitimate
” demands of his ex-colleagues.
"
The government would do better to stop throwing oil on the fire and calling for the
'
responsibility
'
of the strikers
", he for example cursed on BFMTV.
“
The language of the government (and) the macronie shows how anti-strike these people are
,” he added on Twitter.
His Mélenchonist colleagues have also been echoing the strikers for several days, passing the ball back to the government and the company.
“
What about the total lack of empathy from the management of the SNCF who played the rot?
“, for example questioned Manuel Bompard, new boss of LFI.
The balancing act of the RN
Between the “pro” and the “anti” of the other, it is finally the National Rally which tries to occupy a middle position, by relaying the demands while denouncing the chosen calendar.
For Jean-Philippe Tanguy, RN deputy invited this Friday on France Info, going on strike at Christmas poses "
a problem of professional conscience
", because of the "
monopoly
" of the SNCF.
“
The French are tired (...).
Not respecting (them) on this, I find it very serious
, ”he said.
But the elected representative of the Somme blames more on the government, which according to him “
only suffers, which comes to see, which comes to deplore, which comes to whine
”.
"
A minister is not just someone who reacts to events
," he said about Clément Beaune.
Before emphasizing that the controllers are “
not numerous enough to do their job
”, and that it has been “
years since we trained the necessary people
”.
Read alsoClément Beaune, a left-wing macronist facing the strikers
On social networks, the new president of the RN, Jordan Bardella, summed up the party's balancing act: "
No one denies the concerns of the SNCF controllers, but this strike on Christmas Day is a punishment for millions of French people who, in this difficult period, wish to be together with their family.
Please, Christmas break!
A kind of “at the same time” nationalist version.
