The Government of playing a bit with fire

A few days after the adoption by the members of the Bill of economic development, the décor is in place for starting this week, in the four French overseas departments, States General of the overseas. Until 25 may first, then after a break time for the European elections until the end of the month of June, workshops will floor on topics as various as social dialogue, the formation of prices, the development of local production, etc. The debates, the objective of which is flat to all problems, announce open: interactive national Web site in several languages, participation of the press and high school students and college students. The ultra-marins metropolis nearly 1 million are also invited to participate in this reflection from the 22 April. Reeve Richard Samuel, responsible for the conduct of this event with Patrick Karam hexagonal part, shall render the findings of this extensive brainstorming to the Government, at the end of June, so that it could make early decisions in an Interdepartmental Council on the overseas, presided over by Nicolas Sarkozy in the first week of July.

The President of the Republic was scheduled to participate in the launch of these general statements, that he himself had summoned Caribbean social crisis. But his move to the West Indies, already postponed the beginning of may, is likely to be disturbed, and the social situation is by no means be allayed including in Guadeloupe. Since the middle of last month, shortly after the agreement out of the crisis on 4 March, several businesses, public sector, are affected by strikes. The partial extension of the Bino agreement on wage increases that the Government has announced before the weekend (see sidebar) could even revive the activism of the hardest branch of the LKP collective, which do not have to meet. Such a decision "is reset for a lot of strikes", was launched a week ago Elie Domota, leader of the collective which has led a long conflict of 44 days. The Government of "playing a bit with fire (...)" "Not to go to the end of the approval, in disagreement with all unions, it is a mistake", for its part considered the patron of the CFDT, Jacques Chérèque.

Entrepreneurs shared

Among entrepreneurs, the actions of signature of this agreement have left traces. 20 Legal actions have been initiated. Also, with regard to the States General, the feelings of the entrepreneurs are shared: "A majority of us want involved us, but we are shrivelled and the feeling of the things have already said," for example said Manuel Baudoin, Director-General delegate of Cafom (purpose and Conforama), noting that this type of debate already took place 18 months in regional economic development patterns.

Some elected officials also are part of their disappointment. Lilian Malet, for the Association of municipalities and communities overseas, said today that "all the work of reflection led for several years by the elected representatives of the ACCD'OM on the realities of it overseas is has not been sufficiently taken into account."

Beyond this evident annoyance, the refusal of the main unions and collectives (the LKP in Guadeloupe and one on 5 February in Martinique) to participate in the risk to undermine the credibility of these general statements. "The LKP is not going to sit in meetings where everything has already been decided", said Elie Domota. A position condemned immediately by Yves Jego and Patrick Karam who accused the Guadeloupe leader to have chosen the path of "marginalization". "We will not allow ourselves to be distracted by a transaction that the result will be simply that the Government, after consultation, will decide alone what it has already decided", however, has in turn launched Philippe Pierre-Charles of the collective of Martinique.