2009 French Caribbean General Strikes - French Government Reaction

French Government Reaction

French President Nicolas Sarkozy did not mention those events in his one hour and a half television talk of 5 February 2009. He acknowledged later the grievances of the strikers in his first remarks on the crisis, "There cannot be a two-speed society in which one part gets richer while the other stagnates and depends on benefits."

Sarkozy ordered the government on 13 February 2009, to begin a review of France's policies towards its overseas territories. Sarkozy simultaneously announced the creation of a new government council to review policy toward all French overseas territories, a promise he had made during the presidential campaign of 2007. He called for a "distribution of riches" (i.e. distribution of wealth) to alleviate the societal and economic ills afflicting Guadeloupe and Martinique. French government ministers were asked to propose new long-term measures intended to modernise and stimulate the economies of both islands. Sarkozy suggested that the government may open up the islands' economies to more economic competition, but did not appear to strongly support the wage increases demanded by protesters, saying "We should beware of false good ideas for a short-term end to the conflict.

Sarkozy sought to reassure residents that the government was not ignoring their concerns, saying "Guadeloupe and Martinique are part of France" and that the islands' residents "have the sentiment that they are not always heard. We should continue to fight, every day, so that the country makes a larger place for those who represent the diversity of France."