It took nearly a month of action, determination and solidarity to force the management of a health facility in Capbreton, in south-west France – managed by the private health sector giant Ramsay Santé – to accept their employees’ claims.

In the agreement Ramsay Santé employees won:

• the payment of bonuses
• an increase in the lowest wages
• a revision of the profit-sharing agreement
• €38,000 for the next annual

The agreement was described as “very satisfactory” by the French Confederation of Labour (CFDT).

“In a facility where €6 million has been invested in modernisation but without fairly valuing human labor, workers have reminded us that without them, nothing works,” the union said.

As part of their campaign the CFDT translated Ramsay Australia enterprise agreements into French to educate staff on what wages and conditions their Australian colleagues were entitled to.

Earlier this year the CFDT had released a report revealing how healthcare real estate speculation drains billions of euros from France’s public health system, diverting crucial resources away from patient care and healthcare workers’ wages.

The study, authored by the Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research, looked at the financial structure and assets of Ramsay Santé, and revealed a troubling pattern of financial extraction that threatened healthcare quality and working conditions.