The government can say, make and spend billions, but the French judge more and more harshly the state of public services in our country. According to our Ifop survey, 61% of them believe that these work “poorly”. And 18% that they work “very badly”. This negative opinion is now the majority in all categories. Even among civil servants themselves: 58% believe that public services are lacking. This is a significant development, notes Frédéric Dabi, General Manager of Ifop: “So far the reassurance in the country has come from its public services, free education and our social model. There, the French begin to doubt. “ The country’s anxiety now touches what traditionally was one of its strengths: confidence in the action of the state.
Budget extensions don’t quench the rage
In detail, it is above all justice that attracts the most negative judgments (77%). Then the hospital (73%), followed by Pôle emploi (64%) and the police (54%). While the school (52% of the positive opinions), the university (53%) and even more the Social Security (56%) escape this severe judgment.
There is a form of injustice here: for the third consecutive year, Place Vendôme’s budget has increased by 8%. “Over the past five years we have hired 900 magistrates and 800 additional employees and the court staff has increased by an average of 10% since Éric Dupond-Moretti was appointed Keeper of the seals” in July 2020, he defends a relative of his. Not enough to extinguish the anger of the magistrates’ unions. “The budget of justice has never increased so much, but it is as if nothing is happening for the French”, observes Frédéric Dabi.
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The same goes for the budget of the Ministry of the Interior, which grows by 1,250 billion in 2023, with over 3,000 jobs created. And, also, for that of National Education, with an increase of 6.5% qualified as“historical” from the executive, to 59 billion euros.
The site of the quarry
Despite these envelopes provided, the opening of 2,000 French service centers in the area to facilitate access to administrations and the recent announcement of the reopening of the sub-prefectures (six by the end of the year), according to the executive Emmanuel Macron would have been presented with the bill for all its predecessors.
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There has been a massive disinvestment in public services for which we are paying a high price
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“Since the liberal policies of the 1980s, there has been a massive divestment from public services for which we are paying a high price”, notes an executive adviser. The Minister of Transformation and Public Service, Stanislas Guerini, confirms: “We have been living with these difficulties for many months and years. This summer we feared for our emergencies, at the beginning of the school year the question of the number of teachers arose … These are not new subjects. “
At the heart of the problem, the difficulty of recruiting and the attractiveness of careers. “For ten years the number of candidates in competitions has halved, continues Stanislas Guerini. It is a fundamental trend, of which I have made it my top priority. It’s about this: our ability to attract people and keep them. “ The example of health is illuminating: the national target for health expenditure must continue to grow by 3.7% (excluding expenditure related to Covid), according to the Social Security financing bill for 2023. And on the public hospital no savings are expected. But according to our survey, 81% of civil servants retain a negative image of it.
Like burning milk
Cruel, but very real. For this reason, the government looks at the union budgets that will come out of the professional elections in the public service on 8 December like milk on fire. Salary negotiations will open in the process in January. “The theme of career development and remuneration will be my main project”, promises Stanislas Guerini, who aims for the result “In the first half of 2023”. The minister has set four lines of work: equality between women and men, housing for public employees, deburocratization and finally health at work. He is also working on an incentive plan.
The question is eminently political. According to the Ifop poll published last Sunday by the JDD, which tested what would be a new French presidential vote, Marine Le Pen, in the first round, would take 39% of the votes of public sector employees, against 20% in Emanuele Macron .
