Fabien Roussel wants to place the recruitment and remuneration of public sector employees at the heart of his presidential platform. Invited this Thursday, November 12th, to the major public forum organized by franceinfo, the Communist candidate reaffirmed his ambition to recruit nearly 500,000 additional civil servants over five years to strengthen public services. This is a proposal he already championed during the 2022 presidential campaign and one he intends to include in his new platform, expected at the end of January. "I am in favor of a return of the State, a return of the State that protects, that guarantees effective and humane public services," he declared. For Fabien Roussel, the difficulties encountered in hospitals, schools, transportation, and government offices stem in particular from staff shortages and deteriorating working conditions.
The national secretary of the Communist Party is also proposing an immediate 10% increase in the index point, which serves as the basis for calculating a large portion of civil servants' salaries. He then intends to continue these increases to achieve a total rise of 20 to 30% over five years. The candidate explains that he wants to make civil service jobs more attractive, given that several sectors are experiencing recruitment difficulties. "We need men and women to provide them with a decent living, who are well-paid and feel respected in their profession," he argued. The figure of 500,000 new hires remains a campaign objective: Fabien Roussel specified that he wants to conduct a needs assessment and believes his final program should be close to this target.
Wealth tax, production taxes and the fight against tax evasion to finance its measures
When questioned about the cost of this policy, Fabien Roussel offered an estimate of between 15 and 18 billion euros, without at this stage providing a detailed breakdown of expenditures and revenues over the entire five-year term. To finance his project, the candidate advocates for the reinstatement of the wealth tax, the reintroduction of certain production taxes, and an intensification of the fight against tax evasion. He notably promises a "major crackdown on tax evasion," believing that the necessary resources exist, but that they must be better allocated to public services. These proposals mark a significant difference from those of Gabriel Attal , who had just proposed, during his own appearance on franceinfo, the elimination of 100,000 positions in the national and local government sectors.
Beyond staffing levels, Fabien Roussel advocates for a broader transformation of public intervention. He specifically wants to create a new public housing service, build 200,000 social housing units per year, and strengthen the obligations imposed on municipalities by the SRU law. He also proposes a public energy hub bringing together major operators to exert greater influence over electricity, gas, and fuel prices.
Respond to the article
Be the first to comment on this article.