French Unions Take to the Streets Over Utility Privatisation

French unions again will demonstrate next week, 15 June, the day their government will take up and debate legislation to partially privatise the country’s gas and electric industries. The ICEM’s Executive Committee on 27 May resolved to fully support French affiliates FCE-CFDT and Fédéchimie CGT FO in their resistance to the measure. On 27 May, 80,000 French workers marched in Paris against the government’s bill to remove Electricité de France and Gaz de France from state control, a status the utilities have had since 1946.