ORIGINAL FRENCH ARTICLE: Service public Les douaniers en grève contre l’austérité
by C. M.
Translated Friday 27 March 2015, by
“Without customs, who will protect you?” A thousand customs officials demonstrated in Paris on March 24 in response to an inter-trade union call by the CFDT, CGT, F.O., Solidaires, and UNSA.
The customs officials came from places as far away as Bordeaux, Dijon, Lille and the Rhône-Alpes region. “At least one official in three, on average” went on strike, the trade unions said. The goal of the strike was “to get across the message concerning our protective role,” Manuela Dona (CGT) explained.
“We render great services to the population,” the trade unionist insisted. "The fight against terrorism, the fight against money laundering, protection with regard to toys, medicines and auto parts…” But the number of customs officials is falling by about 250 a year, a trend which is to continue this year. At present, there are around 16,600 customs officials.