French Researchers, and Students Intensify Protests. (February 14, 2009)

"The wave of resistance to government reforms of the French university system this week swelled into a tsunami" is the lead in Nature's report of the aftermath of the strike by French researchers and university lecturers that began February 2^nd.

Researchers are demanding that the government consults with the scientific community and rethink the reforms which it is attempting to introduce as regards the publicly funded research structure, the universities and their interactions.

As many as 40,000 researchers and students marched on Paris streets this past Tuesday, and according to Nature there were "huge turnouts in university cities across the country".

The previous day, February 9, science and education minister Valérie Pécress tried to calm the protesters, announcing she would "rework" the decree, but would not withdraw it. And then the day after the massive turnout she appointed Claire Bazy-Malaurie, a senior official at France's national audit commission, to negotiate with researchers.

Over the next two months she is to attempt to come up with an acceptable revision.

Not good enough. Immediately the next day, February 12, university representatives voted to prolong the strike indefinitely unless the decree is renegotiated.  A further day of protests has now been scheduled for February 19.

Representatives of the strikers, feeling that their position is strengthening, are upping their demands. They want the current terms of recruitment of personnel to be revisited, and the government is to reverse its proposed restructuring of national research agencies including the National Centre of Scientific Research (CNRS).

President Nicholas Sarkozy, never the soul of tact, having insulted the researchers on January 22, by referring to them as layabouts was still not taking a backward step when on February 5 he claimed the support of Axel Kahn, one of France's most prominent scientists.

But Professor Kahn wasn't having it and issued a statement the following day saying that the government should withdraw the decree, pointing out that reforms were impossible without researchers agreement.  The government in his view needed to restart "negotiations from zero" with the research community.

And things have gotten tougher for the government with the Conference of University Presidents, although a major force behind the drive by President Sarkozy for university autonomy, issuing a statement on February 11 that negotiation was only possible "if a climate of trust was restored in the university community".