Spontaneous strike in Corsica: until when will airports and ports be blocked ?

Since Thursday, October 3, Corsica has been blocked by a spontaneous and “unlimited” strike, triggered in response to questions about the management of Corsican airports and ports.

Transport to and from Corsica has been severely disrupted since Thursday, October 3. The Corsican workers' union (Sindicatu di i travagliadori corsi, or STC) has launched an “unlimited” strike movement, leading to the blockade of six ports and four airports on the “Isle of Beauty”. “All ports and airports in Haute-Corse are still blocked this morning”, the Haute-Corse prefecture told AFP on Friday, as reported by La Provence.

Some lucky people were able to take the 11am boat to Toulon from Bastia, and a few flights took off this morning from the airports of Bastia, Ajaccio, Figari and Calvi, details France 3 Corse ViaStella. But these planes were able to leave because of territorial continuity, to allow people requiring care to reach hospitals on the continent. The other flights were cancelled. Air Corsica reported 14 cancellations this Friday.

A misunderstanding at the basis of the conflict ?

Why did the situation suddenly flare up in Corsica? ? During the extraordinary general meeting of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) held on Thursday in Ajaccio, Alexandre Patrou, Secretary General for Corsican Affairs and representative of the prefect, made comments that were “unacceptable”, according to the STC. Alexandre Patrou has expressed doubts about the creation of two open mixed unions (SMO) for ports and airports by the end of the year. This creation would make it possible to grant concessions to the island's CCI so that it can continue to manage the island's ports and airports from January 1, 2025, explains La Provence. For the prefect's representative, this would present “a significant legal risk”. He believes that the system cannot “circumvent the call for tenders” provided for any public contract.

Comments that did not go down well with Gilles Simeoni, the pro-autonomist president of the island's executive council. “It's a declaration of war and I repeat, for me it's not negotiable, there will be no international groups managing the ports and airports of Corsica,” he fumed on Thursday. He denounced “the decision that the state has just announced today, on the sly, without warning us and by going back on its commitment and its word”. Following this outburst, the CCI unions, led by the STC, launched a spontaneous strike movement.

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“This is in no way a sentence”, nevertheless responded Alexandre Patrou, before the assembly. “It is simply the mention of a legal fragility that has been noted. It is simply an illumination that we are bringing to you."

Jobs under threat ?

But can these blockages be explained solely by this political conflict ? According to La Provence, a financial difficulty would be behind the dispute. Gilles Simeoni is in fact demanding an additional 50 million euros from the state in order to compensate for inflation. The president of the executive council of Corsica believes that it was not taken into account in the sum allocated by the state to ensure territorial continuity between the island and the continent. And the new government is slow to give an answer.

“Reindexation is not a given and it is due, it is not just asking to remind people of this,” Gilles Simeoni told the Corsican Assembly on Friday. At the end of September, he warned that if this allocation was not granted, “we will be unable to to maintain the execution of public service delegation contracts in the maritime and air sectors”, which would threaten “hundreds of direct jobs”, notably at Air Corsica, Air France, Corsica Linea, La Méridionale, as well as “thousands of indirect jobs”.

The risks of too long a blockage in Corsica

It is difficult to know for the moment how long the blockages will last. The situation could be resolved quickly if the political dispute is resolved, or drag on in the absence of a solution or agreement. Especially since no blockage of this magnitude has affected the island for 19 years. This Friday morning, some stores have already been stormed by the Corsicans, who are taking the lead. In the past, port blockades have caused a shortage of food in supermarkets. The Isle of Beauty imports 95% of the continent's goods, recalls Le Monde.

While waiting for travel to resume, several people are being held on the island. On Thursday evening, the prefecture made a gymnasium available to passengers stranded at Bastia airport. The travelers spent the night on camp beds, and do not know when they will be able to leave. Some passengers are even stuck at sea, and confined in Corsica Ferries ships that have been unable to disembark since Thursday. “We were supposed to disembark yesterday at 6:30 p.m.”, testified Solange, one of the passengers to France 3. A delay that could well turn into a nightmare if nothing is done. “We have people on the boat who are in need of treatment,” reacts Anthony, also stuck on a boat. He cites passengers requiring oxygen, diabetics and disabled people. “We cannot leave people in this state.”

In a statement from all passengers on one of the ships, it is written: “It is essential that our rights are respected, and that the needs of certain people on board are taken into consideration. This situation cannot continue. We demand rapid action.”