Several public establishments have been “placed in free electricity or gas”, indicates a press release from the union.
Free gas or electricity for schools or hospitals, recovery of cut users: strikers in the energy sector carried out several so-called “Robin Hood” actions on Thursday to “intensify the balance of power“In the fight against pension reform, according to the CGT. They have, throughout the day of this strike, “massively” carried out this type of action in the Paris region, “in Lille, Nantes, Lyon, Nice, Marseilles, Saint-Nazaire” and elsewhere in the rest of France, reported Sébastien Menesplier, secretary general of the CGT Mines Énergie, interviewed on BFMTV.
“In a coordinated manner throughout the territory, this is undoubtedly a first”, told AFP Fabrice Coudour, federal secretary of the CGT Federation of Mines and Energy, who is also calling for a strike on Friday. According to a press release, “several hospitals or clinics, municipal ice rinks and swimming pools, public sports centers, public interest associations, libraries, colleges, high schools, nurseries, collective university or HLM heating systems, public lighting small and medium-sized towns, social housing” have thus been “placed with free electricity or gas”.
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On the other hand, “small businesses and craftsmen (bakers or others) or small businesses” obtained a reduced energy tariff. Finally, users “electricity or gas cut off despite the winter break, by unscrupulous suppliers”would have had their access restored according to the union. “This is just the beginning: we can take action “Robin Hood” at any moment”warned Fabrice Coudour, who calls for further broadening the movement to “build a great January 31st”date of the next national mobilization against the government’s project.
The strikers did not, according to Sébastien Menesplier, carry out targeted power cuts on Thursday, this option not being “not relevant”. The CGT had proposed to close the taps of gas and electricity on the communes of elected representatives favorable to the reform, which the government had condemned. “There will be targeted cuts if in the general assemblies, the agents decide on them”and want to go more “far from the strike”he added.