STAFF AT the French embassy in Dublin have threatened to take further action after picketing their workplace for the second time yesterday to highlight salaries they say are not sufficient to cover the high cost of living in the city.
Those who took part in the protest outside the embassy offices on Ailesbury Road in Ballsbridge yesterday said they may go on strike again because the French foreign ministry had so far failed to address their concerns. The employees held a similar picket last week.
"We have sent a letter to the ambassador saying we want to continue our action," said one member of staff. "We thought a second day of striking would really change the situation, but that appears not to be the case."
The strikers are locally recruited staff who work either in the embassy offices or in the nearby residence of ambassador Yvon Roé d'Albert. They include clerical officers in the consular and cultural sections, visa officers, the press attache, drivers, handymen and the ambassador's chef and housekeeper.
They include 10 French nationals, two Irish, one Moroccan and one Peruvian. They say the ministry has refused to acknowledge the high cost of living in Dublin and match salary increases with inflation figures.The salaries in question range from about €1,600 to €2,600 gross a month.
One staff member, who holds a PhD and works as an assistant to the embassy's scientific attache, earns €1,600 gross a month.
Apart from basic salary, the ministry also pays 50 per cent of the cost of each employee's VHI cover. The locally-recruited staff are not eligible for rent or travel allowances or any other perks enjoyed by civil servants or diplomats posted from Paris.
One of those participating in the action said the staff had compared their salaries with those in similar positions in other embassies in Dublin. "We found that most embassies of euro zone countries pay 20 per cent more than the French," he said.
The French embassy employees have argued that their demands amount to just €35,000 in total for those concerned. Earlier this week, the ministry informed them it would re-examine the situation and possibly make a decision on the matter in March. The staff, however, insist the issue should be addressed before then.
"People are talking about it in the other French embassies around the world," said one employee. The action is supported by the Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail, the largest union grouping in France.
The embassy's visa section remained closed all day yesterday as a result of the strike.
Embassy staff had previously considered striking during the visit of French president Nicolas Sarkozy to Dublin in July.