Public workers at agencies dedicated to the ecological and health transition mobilized in response to announced budget cuts.
Politicized Oversight
ADEME, Santé publique France, OFB, Météo-France, IGN… Between staff cuts and reduced subsidies, employees at the public agencies charged with the ecological and health transition are denouncing an unprecedented deterioration in their working conditions. They see a direct threat to their ability to carry out their public service missions.
Beyond purely economic constraints, the workers are outraged by a politicized tutelage that chokes their freedom of action. Indeed, ministries and the prime minister are now imposing unprecedented levels of validation, going so far as to censor information guides or delay crucial public health campaigns, for example during heat waves. Unions note that these agencies were historically created to separate scientific evaluation from political management. Such an authoritarian drift jeopardizes the independence of public expertise.
Concern Over Further Cuts
Although the government ultimately backed down on the bill aimed at dismantling ADEME’s regional branches, the worry remains. The “Agencies in Struggle!” collective fears that this retreat is only a temporary pause and fears that the next budget negotiations for 2027 will be an opportunity for new cuts. The creeping privatization threat and future administrative reorganizations worry about the fate of their structures.
This unprecedented union mobilization around the “Agencies in Struggle!” collective goes beyond a simple social conflict. Protesters also remind that the survival and scientific autonomy of these agencies are essential to effectively combat climate change and protect the health of the population. These agencies are, in fact, environmental and health sentinels grounded in science.
