Sophie Binet, General Secretary of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT)
Paris, January 9 (RHC) General Secretary of the General Confederation of Trade Unions (CGT), Sophie Binet, today called for people to take part in a nationwide march on January 21 against the immigration law, which she says is at odds with French values.
In statements to the Franceinfo network, the leader of one of the country's two largest trade unions explained that the aim of the mobilization called by 200 association and union representatives was to denounce that this norm deeply attacks the values of the Republic.
“We will say that the law is not the France of solidarity, of freedom, of equality and fraternity, of living together in everyday life,” he stressed.
According to Binet, the initiative, adopted last month after a pact between the ruling party and the Conservatives, reflects a country of hate speech, stigmatization and confrontation.
The law still needs to be validated for its promulgation by the Constitutional Council, whose opinion will be announced on January 25, with no major changes or repeal expected.
The text sparks controversy as it is seen as an ideological victory by the far right, with measures such as charging a security deposit for foreign students to enter universities in France.
It also limits family reunification, the legalization of undocumented workers, and support for those who are legally present, such as housing, and calls for reform of government medical assistance for “undocumented people,” a benefit that want to abolish the rights.
The Secretary General of the CGT denounced that if the rule is applied, the country will not have fewer foreigners, but rather that foreigners will find themselves in a more precarious situation.
In the Paris region alone, almost a quarter of jobs are occupied by foreigners, many of them in vital sectors, and we cannot deny them the right to live with their family and propose a medium and long-term project, he warned.
Over the weekend, Marylise Léon, general secretary of the other major union, the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT), made the same call to protest against the immigration law at the national level on January 21st.
Like his colleague, he considered the text to be at odds with republican values and a setback to fraternity.
The government defends the initiative, although it admits that some of its measures it does not like and may violate the constitution, but the conservatives had the advantage in the negotiations.
In the Senate, the traditional right (Los Republicanos party) used its dominance to modify and tighten the project presented by the executive, while in the National Assembly, the various opposition forces joined forces in a rare maneuver to pass a motion of censure that required a debate prevented. the document in the House of Commons.
The government then convened a mixed committee based on the Senate text, in which, despite the Left's rejection, the agreement was reached, which both chambers later voted on. (Source:PL)