The SFA-CGT union representing performing artists has filed a strike notice for July 26, the day of the Paris Olympic Games' opening ceremony, to protest against glaring inequalities in treatment among artists recruited for the show. The union, which is part of CGT-Spectacle, has also announced a strike notice for the rehearsals of the Paralympic Games' opening ceremonies on August 28. The union claims that Paname24, the executive producer of the ceremonies, has not adhered to the collective agreement for artistic and cultural companies.
The union has highlighted that around 250 to 300 intermittent show dancers, out of approximately 3,000 recruited for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, were recruited under shameful conditions, without payment or knowledge of neighboring rights transfer amounts. The union questions why neighboring rights payments for these dancers range from 60 euros for temporary workers to 1,610 euros for employees who benefited from collective negotiations.
Paris 2024 and Paname24 have held two negotiation meetings with the union, but no progress has been made. Paris 2024 has stated that it takes the working conditions of those involved in the Games seriously and claims that Paname24 has complied with the law by applying the collective agreements for dancers. However, Bernard Thibault, president of the Paris 2024 Social Charter Committee, has warned about the situation, emphasizing the precarious nature of the professionals involved.
In addition to the issues faced by performing artists, police unions have been denouncing the unworthy conditions in which student peacekeepers mobilized for the Paris Olympic Games are housed. Around 300 civil servants were shocked to find their accommodations at the Regional Center for University and School Works (Crous) Poissonnier in unsanitary conditions, with rooms contaminated by cockroaches and animal droppings. Efforts to disinfect the rooms have been ongoing, but the situation remains unresolved.
The CGT union has also raised concerns about the working conditions of private security agents who will be mobilized for the Games. The union's general secretary, Sophie Binet, has called for negotiations to address the difficult working conditions, including the inability of employees to take leave and the intensification of work during the Olympics. Binet emphasized that compensation is necessary and pointed to the successful negotiation with Aéroports de Paris as an example of how strikes can be avoided if employers engage in dialogue.
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, set to take place on the Seine, is expected to be a remarkable event. Hugh Robertson, former president of the British Olympic Committee, praised the innovative idea of holding the ceremony outside a stadium. Despite concerns about safety and political uncertainty, Robertson is confident that the Paris Games will be exceptional, with fewer problems compared to previous editions.
