Robin Hood Strikes in France
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Amid national strikes in the energy sector, some workers in France have found a novel way to protest. On Thursday, “Robin Hood” operations – unauthorised by the government – provided free gas and electricity to schools, universities, and low-income households throughout the country.
Providing free energy was intended to “intensify the balance of power” in favour of striking workers, said Philippe Martinez, secretary-general of the GGT, one of the largest confederations of trade unions in France. “[It’s about] returning energy to those who don’t have it at all because they can’t afford to, and making it free for hospitals and schools.”
More “Robin des Bois” operations are also likely. “If the government doesn’t retract its retirement reforms, we will continue and we will make energy free for everyone who doesn’t have access to regulated tariffs, whether they are public establishments or businesses,” Frédéric Probel, secretary general of the CGT in Bagneux, in the Paris suburbs, told FranceInfo on Friday.
What a great idea! That’s the kind of direct action I would endorse if I were a trade unionist on strike. And the idea of making free energy available might encourage some people to think more on our wavelength. The problem I guess is that it is difficult to see how such a strategy could be extended to other sectors of the economy…..
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