The CGT-Municipaux reflects on the results of the municipal elections, assesses the era of Gérard Trémège, and sets some milestones for the future. Without beating around the bush…
“It’s not our practice to comment on election results. The last time we did, it was in 2001, when Gérard Trémège became mayor after decades of communism. It was a thunderbolt. And we are in a similar situation,” says Gilles Haurie. “For two reasons, first the RN [National Rally] entered the city, with 35% of the votes, and then there is no longer any left in the municipal council.” The observation is good, but analysis is better: “Everything stems from previous mandates. The health of a city is measured by its downtown, and we can see that Gérard Trémège’s record is not good. The same goes for employment, with 26% of the population living below the poverty line. And, as a symbol, two historic sports clubs, TGB and Stado, have disappeared. In 2001, Gérard Trémège said that Tarbes was suffering from communism. What has he done? As for municipal staff, his record is disastrous.” And back to the political aspect: “His intervention, between the two rounds, to stab in the back the person he himself had chosen, that is betrayal. And on top of that, he calls to vote for the RN! On the right, the barriers have definitively fallen…”
“Collective responsibility”
Still on politics, and there is something for everyone: “There is no longer any left in the municipal council, even though it represented 24% of the votes. But the origins date back a long time, precisely 12 years ago, the leader at the time never moved, and that’s the result. We mobilized, we were the only ones to file a civil suit in the Trémège trial. And today, in people’s minds, the only opposition to Gérard Trémège was Pierre Lagonelle, not the left.” And the RN in the middle, as a bonus. “With it at 35%, will it be the majority next time? We call on all progressive forces, parties, unions, associations, and citizens to come together. We have a collective responsibility.” Then, returning to the central topic, the staff, Gilles Haurie and his friends met with Pascal Claverie, the new mayor. “We spoke calmly. No pressure, but we will be vigilant. We emphasized one point: No witch hunt, even if some staff or department heads may have taken advantage of favors and behaved poorly towards us, we do not want things to repeat themselves. We are for reconciliation. The important thing is for municipal staff to regain meaning in their missions, the sense of general interest.” And to stress, once again, “the precariousness of 30% of municipal employees, who have fragile contracts. Women are the most affected. On the other hand, in education, there is a need for more training and professionalization, for the agents themselves, but especially for the benefit of our children.” Lastly, and a slight return to politics, the CGT invites the next municipal council to “better highlight the Museum of Deportation. It is important to remember, especially in the current context with the rise of the RN, that history can tend to repeat itself, especially if it is horrible. We need to show the mechanisms that led to horror, we are not far from it today.” The message is clear…
