Center Pompidou: “disgusted”, employees intend to continue the strike

Employees of the Center Pompidou gathered in a general assembly on Thursday, “disgusted” by the signing of a memorandum of understanding by two of their unions, symbolically voted to continue their strike, noted an AFP journalist. “The signing of the memorandum of understanding by two union organizations [CFDT and FO, editor's note] does not mean the lifting of the strike notice which runs until February 15,” insisted Nathalie Ramos of the CGT. “If progress has been made, it is thanks to the mobilization of staff who were not even consulted, nor informed, before the signing,” she lamented.

Around forty employees gathered in a cinema room of the large museum of modern art around the three non-signatory unions, CGT, SUD and Unsa. Saying they had been "betrayed", "scorned", "humiliated", they voted to hold a new general assembly on Monday "to decide on a new strategy" for their movement, to which the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, assured Monday that it had put an “end”. They are also calling to join a protest rally the same day at 12 p.m. on the large square in front of the museum, organized by their colleagues from the large library that the center houses and who have announced they have filed a “new strike notice”.

After three months of mobilization out of fear for their jobs and missions, in anticipation of the closure of the large museum of modern art for five years from 2025 due to work, only the CFDT and FO, in the majority, were invited by the ministry and management to sign this memorandum of understanding on Monday. CGT, Unsa and SUD, who had led the mobilization within a united inter-union since October, were excluded, they explained Thursday in front of the few employees gathered, “despite messages from management announcing the lifting of the strike”, according to these unions.

The memorandum of understanding, consulted by AFP, provides in particular that management and the ministry request each year that the employment ceiling be maintained during budgetary conferences prior to the preparation of the finance bill. There are currently around a thousand agents. It also provides that the closure of the main building will not cause “any forced departure” and that “the scope of activities currently outsourced by service will not be modified, except marginally after advice from the social board of directors”, a point “ risky” because “fuzzy” for the CGT, SUD and Unsa who demanded more restrictive guarantees on this point as well as concerning CDD jobs. Inaugurated almost half a century ago, the Center Pompidou, also called Beaubourg, must remain closed until 2030 for major asbestos removal and restoration work.