Controversial decree: teachers on strike

In the presence of Vice-Chancellor Harry Christophe, Sub-Prefect Marie-Hildegarde Chauveau listened attentively to the comments of the inter-union delegation. The origin of the case dates back to 27 June 2024, when Decree No. 2024-641 was published, aimed at modifying the conditions of payment for sick leave for all civil servants. To put it simply: as everyone knows, civil servants receive a 40% bonus linked to the high cost of living in overseas territories, and it turns out that the salary reduction applied during long-term sick leave will now affect this bonus. And that's where the problem lies, because according to those concerned, only the basic salary should be taken into account. Furthermore, it has been decided that a retroactive effect will be applied to sick leave until the end of March 2024. Teachers are currently the only ones raising the alarm, as the slowness of the French administrative system has not yet affected civil servants outside the national education system, but it will not be long before it does.

Being ill becomes a fault

Of course, this is not a new issue. The alarm was raised at the start of the school year in September 2024, and local elected officials were even contacted (it should be noted that among them, only MP Franck Gumbs responded, unlike Senator Annick Pétrus, who gave no news on the subject). So what are the strikers asking for? Not a cancellation of the decree, but simply an amendment that would take into account the specific characteristics of the overseas departments and regions. Failing that, they say they will be forced to step up their action. According to them, it is unthinkable to be subjected to such a measure, which would force them to come to work when they are ill, so that their pay slips are not reduced by too much in the event of illness, given that the sanitary conditions in schools are not always up to standard.

The vice-chancellor listens to the demands

We spoke with Harry Christophe, who confirmed that he had received three unions on the same day with a common request: the rewriting of the decree. This mobilisation, called for by six unions grouped together within the Inter-DROM inter-union group (FSU, FO, CGTG, SNCL, SPEG and UNSA), demonstrates the extent of discontent with this measure. "I understand the distress and difficulty of the staff faced with this situation," said the Vice-Chancellor, adding that he is committed to notifying the academy of the concrete effects of the decree on the territory of Saint-Martin and to conveying the union's demands, which emphasise the need to take into account the specific overseas context. 
For the time being, no further strike notices have been filed, with the trade unions apparently awaiting a response from the authorities before considering a possible intensification of the movement.