The general secretary of the CGT Sophie Binet estimated Monday that the National Rally (RN) had adopted a “strategy of obstruction” against the vote planned for Thursday in the National Assembly on a bill aimed at nationalizing the steelmaker ArcelorMittal in France.
The steel giant announced a social plan in France in April, the relevance of which is called into question by an expert report commissioned by the CSE.
“We are extremely shocked to discover that the deputies of the National Rally (…) have planned to implement a strategy of obstruction”, with numerous amendments, (…) “and if these amendments are maintained, that means that the bill cannot be voted on,” declared Sophie Binet.
“Obstruction maneuver”
The text, carried by the rebellious MP Aurélie Trouvé, was adopted on November 19 in the Finance Committee of the National Assembly, supported by the entire left, rejected by the right and the center, while the RN abstained.
“They abstain to make people believe that they are not opposed and behind it (…), they put in place an obstructionist maneuver,” protested Sophie Binet, who spoke of a “hypocritical” approach by the RN.
More than 310 amendments were tabled on the text, the end of the tabling of amendments was Monday at 5 p.m., parliamentary sources indicated. The RN group tabled 195, and its UDR allies 84, or 279 in total, the rest of the amendments having been tabled by the Macronists (EPR, 28) and LFI (3), according to data on the National Assembly website.
Administrators are still examining the admissibility of these amendments, so the number under discussion in session may be lower, according to parliamentary sources.
Call to demonstrate
“We call on all deputies to be present and to vote for this fundamental law proposal for the defense of our industry and our national sovereignty,” said Sophie Binet, who will send a letter to this effect on Tuesday to parliamentarians, except those of the RN. “What we see is that the RN works for Mittal,” she concluded, believing that this party “helped a large multinational to fold up and steal our industry”.
Thursday, on the sidelines of the examination of the text, the CGT called on employees of the steel industry, in great difficulty, to demonstrate near the Assembly “to call on deputies to take their responsibilities and protect the French steel industry”, indicated Sophie Binet.