France needs 'more public services', 'salaries are too low', 'schools are in very, very bad shape'

And joining me now to discuss today's general strike in France is Gael Martinez, National Secretary of the Trade Union Solidaires. Thank you very much for joining us, Gael. Thank you. The protests are now in their eighth week. Are you and your fellow trade unionists expecting a bigger mobilization today than before? We expect a general strike with massive mobilization for with all workers as said firefighters who were already on strike in September after summer that has been pretty catastrophic also workers in railways Also teachers and private sector. We expect everybody to come to be on strike and to come in the street to protest. We want now the government to listen to all the demands that are all legitimate for the young people, but also for the population, because the salaries are too low, because we need more public services that are being dismantled. And yeah, we think that... This day will be a very massive strike and general strike. Now, the protest movement's grievances are several. There's the high cost of living, there's low salaries, diminished services, particularly in schools. But what immediate practical response do you expect from the government? We want the government to respond to the young, because the schools are in very, very bad shape now, bad conditions, so the government needs to answer. We want teachers for all pupils, now, and also we want the government to answer and give money, enough money, not just small amount. I think that's probably the best way to start. I think it's important for people to rebuild and have school buildings in good conditions. But we also want immediate answer about salaries because it is too low now for everyone. I think people just want to live not survive. They don't want to struggle every day thinking may I be able to put Thank with groceries. So we want this censure. We want a new budget. The budget is now discussed in the assembly. We want a new budget, a budget based on, not based on cuts, but based on what can be found. And we want to tax the biggest companies, you. the richest companies where the profits are made. Now, the march in Paris today will take place along a traditional route from Place de la Republic to Place de la Nation. That's different from the last two marches which were pushed out towards the periphery by the police. But it's not the organizers preferred route which you, the organizers wanted it to run from Place de la Bastille through to Place de la Concorde in the center of Paris. Why would you have preferred this route? Because we want to have visibility and to express our revendication and demands in these places. What we see is that the government and all the prefectures are trying to make difficulties for the unions to make their marches. The unions in Paris had asked for the Thank you very much. On the 21st of October, and the prefecture only answered one day ago, it's just a way to try to impeach, or I don't know the English word. To prevent. To prevent the unions just to march as their constitutional right to do. Now, the government has been talking of security ahead of the march. What do you say to that? We want to demonstrate, as we do as unions, we want to demonstrate and we just want the government to hear, to act, and all the protests will stop. If the government just answers the legitimate claims and demands, everything will stop. We want to just demonstrate in the street, specifically. Thank you very much. With that, Gael Martinez, who's the National Secretary of the Trade Union, Solidaires.