To honor front-line workers who have been risking their lives for months during the coronavirus pandemic, France celebrated Bastille Day by giving them “historic” pay increases. The country hosted small-scale celebrations honoring health workers during the national holiday on Tuesday as its partial closure continued.
While health workers around the world have been praised as heroes during the pandemic, many have demanded more than just nightly applause. Workers in France sought salary increases, staff increases and increased funds for hospitals in their negotiations.
On Monday, the French government awarded health workers 8 billion euros, or about $ 9.1 billion, in wage increases. The decision followed seven weeks of negotiations with the unions, reports BBC News.
Prime Minister Jean Castex praised the agreement as a “historic moment” for France’s health system.
“This effort is first of all a recognition for those who, applauded every night by our fellow citizens, have been on the front line in the fight against this unprecedented epidemic,” Castex tweeted. “Everyone knows his sense of duty and his disinterest.”
Laura Rezé, a Paris-based health care administrator, said she will see her wages rise by about 183 euros, or about $ 208, per month.
“It doesn’t make much of an overall difference, but it’s better than nothing,” he told CBS News on Tuesday. “It feels good to feel that our work is being recognized.”
“This is definitely progress. We have been on strike and have asked that our demands be met before COVID-19 began,” he added. “I just wish that it didn’t take a pandemic for us to be seen and heard.”
Authorities canceled the traditional Bastille Day parade on the Champs Elysées in Paris due to the pandemic. Instead, the city organized a military parade on Place de la Concorde in honor of doctors, nurses, and other hospital workers.
The parade featured a traditional performance by the French Air Force aerobatic team. According to a government press release, several thousand invited members of the audience, including the families of health workers who died during the pandemic, watched the events from socially distanced seats.
LUDOVIC MARIN / POOL / AFP via Getty Images
Officials from four nations who welcomed French patients were also invited: Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday his desire to make the use of a face mask mandatory in closed public spaces. He said new rules will be discussed in the coming weeks, amid fears of a second wave of the virus. Masks are currently required on public transportation but not in closed public spaces.
In a blog post on Bastille Day, Macron said he wanted to pay a “vibrant tribute” to health professionals in all sectors that have allowed public, social and economic life to continue. He praised their dedication, tenacity, courage and solidarity.
After the ceremony, thousands of health workers and yellow vest activists protested at Place de la Bastille. They demanded better contracts and increased public funds for medical care, but the police greeted them with tear gas.
France has more than 209,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 30,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University. But the country has mostly recovered, seeing a significant decline in daily cases from its peak in mid-April.
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