The day after the firefighters’ protest blocking the A8 in both directions, the public prosecutor of Nice announced that criminal investigations were opened for violence, fires, and obstruction of traffic. Tires were set on fire and two gendarmes were slightly injured.
The public prosecutor of Nice, Jean-Michel Prêtre, strongly criticized the behavior of the protesting firefighters: “You cannot just do anything. Violence: no! Damage, fires, especially when you’re firefighters: no! Obstruction of traffic, of a vital highway, is absolutely impossible, intolerable. And all of this is of course subject to a criminal investigation that will come to a conclusion.”
The Autonomous Federation of Firefighters of the Alpes-Maritimes is engaged in a conflict regarding the organization of working hours with the Prefect, whom they accuse of taking legal action against a resolution adopted by the board of directors of the department’s fire and rescue services, which established a new shift system.
The president of the Departmental Council, Eric Ciotti, directly implicated as the president of SDIS 06, met with the firefighters and considered a new proposal for the organization of working hours, which will be deliberated by the board of directors on March 10th.
The state services will then be called upon to give their opinion.
In the meantime, SDIS 06 will continue the administrative litigation by appealing to the Council of State in Cassation.
As a reminder: The Administrative Court of Appeal of Marseille confirmed on January 26, 2016, the judgment of the Administrative Court of Nice dated December 19, 2014, and annulled these resolutions.
