Diplomacy in France is furious and goes on strike

For the first time in 20 years, French diplomats are called to strike. But because?

The movement, rare in a traditionally discreet administration and not prone to protest, it was launched at the request of six unions and a group of 500 young diplomats.

The reform of the high civil service wanted by President Emmanuel Macron, which will have consequences in the diplomatic career, was the trigger movement, but discontent has actually been growing for several years.

“The accumulation of reforms, the continuous dwindling of resources, provokes the fatigue and loss of staff“Explains CFTC diplomat and trade unionist Olivier Da Silva, underlining that” anger is particularly tall“Network.

In an unprecedented move, many senior diplomats, ambassadors and regional directors have posted their support to the movement on Twitter in recent days, under the hashtag # diplo2mestiere (diplomat by profession).

Some, such as Kuwaiti ambassadors, Claire Le Flécher and Véronique Aulagnon, of Oman, have announced the strike, while others, such as the Foreign Ministry’s Director of Political Affairs, Philippe Errera, retweeted a piece of opinion recently published by the group of young diplomats.

they are even planned demonstrations in front of the ministry in Paris and in Nantes, where the center of the diplomatic archives is located.

Ambassadors and consular officials have the right to strike, but “obviously we will never threaten the protection of our compatriots and our interests”. We call work stoppages as long as it does not threaten the continuity of the defense of our interests, “said Da Silva.

“A cry of alarm”

“A strike in itself is an event,” he added, calling it a “cry of alarm”. “Our ministry is damaged, it needs to be repaired.” The trade unions and the collective are calling for the organization of a conference on diplomacy.

Higher public service reform creates a new body of state administrators and already establishes senior officials they will not be attached to a specific administrationbut, on the contrary, they will be invited changes regularly throughout your career.

For diplomats – some 700 directly affected by the reform – this means a merger and a progressive “disappearance”between now and 2023, of the two historical bodies of French diplomacy, the plenipotentiary ministers (ambassadors) and the advisers for foreign affairs.

“The end of professional diplomacy”

In other words, many of them believe it it is the “end of French professional diplomacy”the third international network after the United States and China.

“With this reform, the French will be represented by people who are not trained in the codes of diplomacyor they are not ready. Being a console is not just an honorary function, as I have heard. It means recognize the body of a fellow countryman in the morgueannouncing a death … We must maintain the professionalism of our diplomacy, “said an ambassador who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A senior diplomat, also anonymous, said he was very worried about “staff fatigue due to constant pressure combined with dwindling resources“.

“It is true that there are treasures on the Quai d’Orsay, but the truth is that there are fewer and fewer resources,” says this source.

The ministry, who has just arrived as head Catherine Colonna, a career diplomat whose appointment was interpreted as a “message” to staff, He assures that he has “established a quality social dialogue” with all the trade unions.

“However, a source close to the issue acknowledged that the social movement takes place in a” very difficult context “: more than two years of Covida succession of crises, from the evacuation of Kabul after the victory of the Taliban in August 2021 until the war in Ukraine, the expulsion of diplomats by Russia, the crisis with Mali …

According to official data, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs employs about 13,500 workers (permanent, contract, hired locally, etc.).

RFI text with AFP information