July 19, 2005
When the resistance is organizing
Not everyone in France is ready to give up just yet in front of the growing number of civil servants sucking our blood living at the expense of those who do work.
The Brigade for the Money of French Taxpayers struck again.
Follow the link for the pictures. Also, check Erik Svane's ¡No Pasarán! and Le Monde Watch, of course.
Below is a translation of the text on the Cri du Contribuable (Scream of the Taxpayer) website.
The Brigade for the Money of French Taxpayers pitched its tent in the middle of the civil service fair for le Cri du Contribuable. The entire security of the Palais des Congrès was necessary to dislodge the Brigade for the Money of French Taxpayers, giving them enough time to take beautiful pictures.Posted by Carine at July 19, 2005 02:17 PM"Civil service is recruiting! Even while 22% of the French active population is working in the public services, state, territorial and hospital institutions are still massively recruting today". With this tempting announcement, the website for the civil service was inciting our fellow citizens to visit the civil service job fair on April 7-9 [2005], at the Palais des Congrès. Listening to nothing but its duty, the Brigade for the Money of French Taxpayers was there. Mission: find the best civil service department/branch to sleep!
BEFORE THE STRUGGLE
Vigil of arms before the stunt.LOOKING FOR A COZY NEST
Where to sleep? Too much light at the first stand, can't sleep!PERFECT COZINESS
A regional stand? Chairs aren't soft enough, hard to make oneself at home.WHERE TO PITCH THE TENT
"Territorial civil service": finally, the ideal stand! Large, bright and empty. The time to pitch the tent, put our pajamas and night cap on before starting working.FOR WORK AND CONFERENCES
Arthur Wneir and Erik Svane go to sleep, without shaking up apathetic, indigenous persons around. Is this strange torpor coming from the habit of seeing people sleep in their pajamas at work? Or is it the Brigade's audacity that is petrifying them?35 HOURS OUT OF 24!
End of the nap after 15 minutes. The security (a private company), that a brutal awakening made moody, surrounds our sleepers. Our photographer sneaks away quickly enough to save those precious pieces of evidence that once again, the Brigade for the Money of French Taxpayers deserves the civil service. Mission accomplished!
France with 1 in 4 employed working for the state, well, a lot of money is needed. If the government doesn't print it itself, where are they going to get it? From those whose work actually creates wealth and doesn't just spend it.
Of course, with France supporting 1 unemployed in 10 workers, that makes the state responsible for payouts to some 35% of the workforce.
We suggest taking the civil service exam or going on the dole. Take it easy. Otherwise the state will take it from you and give it to someone else. Some useless slouch in the civil service. Some indolent slacker on the dole. That lucky person could be you.
DGB
Posted by: Damian at July 20, 2005 06:21 AMDamian,
I don't know how it is in the U.S., but in France entire branches of the so-called public services are reserved for the familes of those already parasitizing the system: the national railway company is one, the Parisian subway company is another.
It is true that more and more graduated and post-graduated young adults have been taking one of the many civil service exams, ready to take a "job" that has nothing to do with their qualifications in the first place. That is just sad. What is even sadder is that most of these young people dream of a job as a civil servant for all the privileges it confers. Even more parents are dreaming of a carreer in the civil service for their children. But those very same people will be denigrating those who work at McDonald's or Starbucks or who will be willing to accept a job they insist on calling "ingrate" instead of, say, accept to be taken completely in charge by the "government" (their words).
So, to me, unless it helps the system collapse, the solution to either try to join them and pretend to work at the expense of the few left to create the wealth or to be what we call un assisté social is similar to selling one's soul to the devil.
By the way, July 16 was Tax freedom day in France.
Posted by: Carine at July 20, 2005 07:17 AMIn the old USSR, the saying was, "They pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work." God save fwance, if He ever stops laughing!
Posted by: interventor at July 20, 2005 01:17 PMSince nearly everybody here have some sort of privileges (Tickets Restaurant, Carte Orange, ...), I think that these jobs are mainly appealing because they're lifelong. In fact, it seems to me that the worst fear a French may have is to lost is job.
Or maybe to have to find one...
Talking about Ticket Restaurant -- It took a while before I figure out why someone (in UK by the way) invented them. Their value is fixed in advance (say 7 euros), employee and employer pay half and half, and waiters are not allowed to give back change.
So why would one accept to have his employer suggest how much he should spend for lunch ? Why should one accept to earn less if he brings his lunch to work ?
I ask these questions to some coworkers. Surprise: they think that these tickets are some kind of... gift. They think that, ultimatly, it is the government that finance them (public money is free money).
So why do Tickets Restaurant exist ? Because French decision makers are socialists. They like to manage the economy. They think that these tickets benefit to the employe (who receives a privilege), to the employer (who can attracts better employes with privileges) and to owners of a restaurant who make more money.
Unfortunately, there is a drawback : prices tend to adjust to ticket's value. Try to find a sandwich and a Coke for less than 7 euros downtown...
Who is harmed ? The poorer people, of course.
Thank for your interesting papers.
