Exceptional support. Bercy has continued to multiply gestures towards bakers hard hit by the rise in electricity prices in recent weeks, until announcing this Tuesday night the possibility of terminating their energy contract for free.
The government is closely monitoring their anger as several political figures accuse the government of being absentee subscribers, from Jordan Bardella to Fabien Roussel to Éric Ciotti in a context of social discontent.
“dying” bakers
There is no doubt that the executive seems to be in retreat while the bakeries represent a strong symbol, between the art of living and the representation of early-rising France.
“We never make noise. People know very well that if we start to protest it is because the situation is serious,” Julien Pedussel, an artisan baker from the Oise, summarized for BFMTV.com.
This boss, who saw his electricity bill go from 1,800 euros in 2021 to 12,000 euros in December, says he is “dying financially.” Faced with exploding prices for energy and raw materials like butter and flour, France’s bakers fear for its survival.
Support and help desks
To deal with the situation, Elisabeth Borne offered them this Tuesday morning to postpone the payment of their taxes and their contributions to social security.
In the maneuver of several weeks, the two ministers in charge of the file, Bruno Le Maire and Olivia Grégoire, also took advantage of the start of the school year to recall the current systems that go from the State taking charge of 15% to 25%. of the bill at a service desk when the electricity bill exceeds 3% of the billing.
Bardella and his “letter to the bakers of France”
With 33,000 stores in France, the profession has 110,000 employees and millions of customers every day of the year. Suffice it to say that all political camps are taking advantage of the issue. Jordan Bardella, the new head of the RN, even sent out an open letter this Tuesday morning.
“Its production is not just a consumer good, it is a source of national pride,” said the MEP in this letter.
The same story on the side of Éric Ciotti, who now runs Les Républicains, calling on the government to “save the craft”. It must be said that the bankruptcy of thousands of bakeries would have a negative effect just a few weeks after the baguette was listed as intangible heritage by UNESCO.
“Magic” baguette
During his visit to Washington, Emmanuel Macron was delighted with this announcement, seeing in this culinary achievement “250 grams of magic and perfection.” Every year, the Élysée welcomes around ten master bakers for the galette des rois.
The paradox did not escape Fabien Roussel. The head of the communist party denounced the president’s statements on his Twitter account and “his inaction on his part in the face of the cost of energy that led to the closing of bakeries.”
Proof that the government is under pressure: Just hours after their joint press conference, the Finance Minister announced the possibility for bakers to terminate their power contract free of charge in the event of a “prohibitive” increase. This device will be reserved for them, unlike other aids.
“We help all small businesses in difficulty with the price of energy. Bakeries are one of them. There is a media prism, which means we hear more about them because their example says a lot,” says Olivia Grégoire’s office, the minister. Delegate of SMEs and Commerce.
“It can blow up campaigns”
The argument hardly convinces Stéphane Ravacley. An environmental candidate in the last legislative elections, this baker made headlines in the national media in January 2021 after starting a hunger strike to fight against the expulsion procedure that then targeted his apprentice.
“Politicians are waking up today because they feel that France is falling apart and that many times we are the last social link in the towns. Letting ourselves die can make the field explode”, says the craftsman. .
A few days after the government’s announcements on the pension reform, the executive wants to avoid any social conflagration, in a context of rising electricity prices for households and record inflation. Especially since a call for yellow vests has been launched to demonstrate on January 7.
“A real sounding board”
Anxious to calm the situation, the Government will send a “personalized” letter to bakers in France in the coming days to encourage them to take advantage of the aid that already exists.
“Retailers can be a real sounding board with customers. Surely if we can avoid a tackle with each baguette sold, we are very interested. And it is France that works hard and that, that, that resonates a lot in the collective imagination”, deciphers a Renaissance deputy.
At the risk of exaggerating? It is in any case the fear of Hervé Novelli. The former Secretary of State for Crafts Jacques Chirac denounces “the risk of a feeling of injustice in the coming weeks”.
“Other sectors are being hit very hard. The feeling that bakers are part of our day-to-day life is correct, but be careful not to prioritize the difficulties of some over others,” advances the person who advanced the condition of self-entrepreneur in the 2000s.
Meanwhile, the PACA region led by the macronista Renaud Muselier has already announced specific aid for bakers.
Source: BFM TV
