Météo-France unions are calling for a strike on Monday to protest against a reorganization of forecasting services and the “reduction of staff” within the public establishment. “It’s a symbolic one-day strike: we are targeting the day when there is a changeover in a new organization, which is planned for Monday 13 (November),” François Giroux, CGT staff representative, said on Sunday.
“The staff who are called to strike are mainly forecasters throughout France”, as well as “our colleagues directly impacted by this new organization, in particular those in IT development services”, he added. The inter-union FO-CGT-CFDT-Solidaires had denounced in a joint press release a reorganization which according to them “aims to centralize and automate the provision of data present on the website and the application”, “concrete consequence of the reduction in workforce “.
Lionel Althuser, of the CFDT, however clarified on Sunday that his union was not calling for a strike, which “would not bring anything concrete to colleagues”, while reaffirming that he “fully shares the concerns of other organizations”.
Contacted, management stressed that the movement would not affect the production of vigilance bulletins, at a time when several departments are on orange alert for floods. “Institutional security productions will be ensured in all cases where the meteorological situation requires it,” Météo-France indicated. “Indeed, Météo-France sets up a specific organization in the event of a strike to ensure its missions of safeguarding people and property. To this end, a certain number of positions are subject to assignment, thus making it possible to produce safety bulletins (vigilance, aeronautics, special marine bulletins, etc.),” explained Météo-France.
The CEO of Météo-France, Virginie Schwarz, interviewed in Parliament with a view to her renewal, emphasized in October that the 2022-2026 objectives and performance contract (COP) signed with the State “is built on the hypothesis stability, at least, of the workforce beyond 2022, after more than ten years of continuous decline. “I said, during the negotiation of the new COP, that it was no longer possible to envisage further reductions in staff numbers within the establishment” and “we are seeking to increase our staff numbers”, a- she insisted.
