The issue of work remains central to the class struggle. Being unemployed, in precarious employment, or downwardly mobile is now the norm in the world of work. For employers and the state, whose objectives are to enrich and perpetuate the dominance of those who already have more, the goal is to lower labor costs by creating widespread job insecurity and dismantling public services such as the national education system.
In the Strasbourg academy, for example, the regional education authority refuses to open the supplementary list for the competitive recruitment exam for primary school teachers (CRPE). Instead of positions for probationary civil servants, the administration is offering contract positions, a precarious status that does not guarantee job security and does not recognize success in the exam. Faced with this disregard, one of the candidates began a hunger strike on October 28, 2025, in front of the rectorate.
We met with her on November 13 so she could present her demands and explain how she came to endanger her health to be heard. Her strike has a collective dimension, as she is demanding not only her own tenure, but also that of all those admitted in her situation. Here are excerpts from that interview.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and tell us about your background?
My name is Vanessa Koehler, I am 25 years old, and I have a bachelor's degree in education followed by a master's degree in teaching and education (MEEF) in Strasbourg. I was a student teacher during my master's program, and I had a class of my own. I took the competitive exam once, but I didn't pass, so I decided to work as a contract teacher to stay in education, since that's what I've always wanted to do. I worked as a contract teacher last year.
I retook the exam this year in April 2025. I passed it in July 2025; I was on the reserve list. I called the regional education authority to ask if I would be accepted. They told me and everyone else on the reserve list not to worry, that we would be contacted. Then, at the end of July, a union informed us that the lists had been closed since mid-July and that they were now only accepting contract teachers!
Can you explain how the reserve list for the primary school teacher exam works? Unlike the CAPES (the competitive teaching exam for secondary school teachers), there's a waiting list that allows you to be called later to start working, right?
Yes, actually, when you're on the reserve list, you have until April 2026, until the next exam session. And throughout the validity of our competitive exam, we can be called upon if there are resignations, vacancies, etc. Except now, depending on the rector, it's not the same. Some rectors continue to call the supplementary list. Some have even already called their entire list. And others say, "No, it's too late, we've taken on too many people, so now, even if there are resignations, we'll take contract teachers." They're not respecting the law regarding the supplementary list. The articles clearly stipulate that we have the competitive exam, that we replace resignations and vacancies.
It's budgetary austerity, that's what it is! Depending on the regional education authorities and the rectors' whims.
Yes, and I'm fighting because I find it unfair to make us wait, to be told yes, then no, to play with our lives. And I find it shocking, what's the point of training, of taking the competitive exam, if, in the end, we can't even teach! And it's not just the supplementary lists that are the problem; it's everyone in the school system who's being targeted. They prefer contract teachers even if they're not qualified. Well, some are qualified and passed the competitive exam, while others missed it by just a few points-it's a mixed bag. Because I'm not fighting against contract teachers. Contract teachers are mistreated too. In fact, they take them on this year so they can eliminate permanent positions. But next year, they'll get rid of these contract teachers, they won't call them back, and goodbye to their jobs!
Have you had any meetings with the rector to discuss and negotiate? They must be feeling quite uncomfortable with your hunger strike and your presence in front of the rectorate.
Yes, I get the impression they really don't like this situation.
I've had many meetings. But, well, it's always the same offer: to be a contract teacher. And when he gives us explanations, I get the feeling he's trying to find every excuse to make me quit! And when we ask him exactly how many resignations there have been, since we're supposed to be there to replace people... they tell us they don't know. That those are figures they can't give out. That it's the ministry that should provide them. Normally, they have these figures; they know what's missing.
Many teachers tell me there have been resignations in their schools. We've counted about ten resignations. I think there are things they're not saying, regarding the new budget, regarding the ministers. Because I think it's decided higher up, at the Ministry of Education. It's a public service; they should be honest with us, transparent. If I'm wrong, if there haven't been any resignations, they can prove it to me, and that's that.
Do you have any support? From education staff, teachers? Which unions are backing you? Have any politicians come?
I have several unions supporting me, like SNAPEN and the CGT, who came to a meeting[with the rector]with me to see how things were going. Because at the beginning, the meetings were complicated. Since I'm on a hunger strike, I felt like he wanted to tire me out even more.
The first few days were very hard for me; nobody spoke to me, everyone tried to avoid me. And then, little by little... there were a lot of people, some even brought me a blanket, a hot water bottle... That's what I like to see, people helping each other. Politicians came too, from the NPA (New Anticapitalist Party), La France Insoumise (France Unbowed). Their MP, Emmanuel Fernandez, supports me; he didn't come, but he sent lots of documents. Sandra Regol[EELV - Europe Ecology - The Greens]also supports me. My comrades are taking care of everything; they sent emails to all the MPs across France. They're managing all the support. I'm here, mainly.
I saw an online petition to support you... a Facebook group that's compiling all the information...
Yes, it's my classmates on the waiting list, because as I said, I'm alone in front of the regional education authority, but I'm with all my classmates. They're the ones putting everything online; they're behind me. It's like everyone is here. These are the waiting lists from all over France. Some had to move back in with their parents because they can no longer afford rent, some have suffered from depression... Still, two-thirds of them have been called. Many regional education authorities have called everyone. There are still some that are blocking it, like Bas-Rhin.
You're part of a group, right?
At first, several of us sent messages, we all followed up a lot, and gradually, the regional education authority stopped responding. So we said to ourselves, let's all get together, because this isn't right. We called each other, we met, and we created a small group together with the other candidates on the waiting lists. And we're continuing to fight together. Some of us even asked to meet with the minister because we refuse to accept this situation. Especially since there's a teacher shortage!
I'm not here to say, "Take me, just me, forget about everyone else!" There are so many problems in the public sector right now. It's austerity!
The government's rhetoric is "pro-work," but what kind of work? Undignified work that doesn't provide a living wage and isn't stable. That's what the rector is offering you: "You want to work in education? We have a contract job for you!" Which proves there are positions available! What's evident in your actions, and what's interesting, is the idea of "de-precarious employment."
Yes, I think the situation of contract workers is important, for example... their salaries are truly awful, and they might not even get called in anymore. It's precarious! Normally, after a certain number of years on a contract[6 years], you can get tenure, but if they stop calling you or cut your contracts... you can't get tenure! We still completed five years of studies, we passed the competitive exam. It wouldn't be fair to be on a contract, to have a low salary, and especially to only work maybe two months... but then to never get called in and never get tenure... These are disgusting practices in how they handle cases; they track people so they never get tenure. It's really a choice!
And what about future meetings? What's next? This afternoon, I have another meeting with the rector; the unions will also be there. I hope things will change. Because they keep telling me, "We've been offering you a contract position since September." But I've been refusing since September. For me, that doesn't meet the demands of us, the supplementary lists.
The Minister just needs to agree, since I don't think it's solely up to the rector. And this morning, all the rectors are meeting with the Minister of Education. They need to find a solution, understand that we're all human, and stop focusing on the numbers and neglecting the students.
Next week, my classmates have requested a meeting with the minister. I won't be able to go because of my physical condition. It's difficult for me to travel. In any case, the minister is aware of what I'm doing. So, my classmates are going; they'll support me just as I support them.
Have there been any demonstrations of support, any rallies?
There was a small rally organized by people from the university administration to show their support. Otherwise, lots of journalists come to write articles, to talk to me. I know I'm not alone, and I know this affects a lot of people.
Many people have trouble understanding the hunger strike. But, for me, if we never fight, we'll never see any change. Because things are getting worse and worse, and if we do nothing, we'll just suffer. This is a small fight that allows us to sow seeds. And I hope that others will fight against these injustices, because it's not just in education, it's everywhere, in healthcare... in fact, in all public services.
Your struggle is part of a broader context with the budget discussions. They're talking about cutting teaching positions, 4,000 initially, but the senators want to increase that to 8,000. Meanwhile, overall, we're short of teachers.
Yes, we're short of teachers, but that's because they're filling classrooms to cut positions. We can't go on like this... Children need our help, because they all have the skills and abilities to succeed, but when you have 30 students, it's too many. We should have fewer children in the classrooms, for starters; that would really allow us to work with each child individually, and that's so much better. It's shocking how we treat children. Not to mention those who need support from teaching assistants. I get the impression they don't want to help them get training. I get the impression that the national education system doesn't care about children!
Your situation also brings to mind the issue of civil servants in general. It's a much broader trend; throughout the entire public service, there's this desire to reduce staff numbers, to employ contract workers with fragmented contracts so they'll never be given permanent positions, and to pit people with different statuses against each other. Moreover, the rector of the Strasbourg academy, Olivier Klein, isn't neutral; he's the mayor of Clichy-sous-Bois, a supporter of Macronism and austerity.
I find it very sad because there are contract workers who give their all, who aren't even paid for their holidays even though they work during the breaks. They give it their all, and in the end, they're not even called back. For me, it's social breakdown...
And frankly, I don't want children to end up in situations like that, because they don't deserve it; they're the ones who suffer.
I don't even understand how they manage the budget. Public services are important. Having doctors to care for us, etc., what matters is people before money.
Your actions are generating discussion and debate online, and even if some people are against you, you're making a difference. A union published a vicious letter against you (excerpt: "The SNALC does not condone this hostage-taking of the institution or this kamikaze stance"), they're reactionaries!
Yes, I didn't know much about unions, and I'm not from Strasbourg. When I was doing my MEEF master's degree, I didn't encounter any unions. I had been on a hunger strike for several days, I was tired, it was complicated, so I was advised to contact the unions. I thought to myself, "Unions are there to help." And in the end, I was really saddened to see that some people were siding with the other side. What's the point of having a union if it's not to help workers?
Interview conducted on November 13, 2025 by OCL Strasbourg
After 19 days of hunger strike and alarming weight loss, forcing her to use a wheelchair, Vanessa suspended her action. On November 25, 2025, under pressure from the "balance of power," the university administration finally gave in: Vanessa was hired as a civil servant. Thanks to her determination, Vanessa was able to avoid the trap of contract status. It is alarming that she had to risk her life to have her rights respected: her permanent position was her due after passing the competitive exam! Her struggle struck us as important because her situation is symptomatic of the accounting-driven management of the French National Education system, where staff are a classic "adjustment variable." (see inset) Vanessa was aware of this and fought for it too: to denounce the increasing job insecurity of teachers (even those who are trained and certified), as well as other staff such as teaching assistants, and to denounce the deterioration of public services. She always keeps children in mind, the reason for her vocation, whether it's to give them a quality education or to leave them a more just and equitable world. It was a wonderful encounter, and the collective impact of her actions is positive. She facilitated the permanent appointment of some candidates from the supplementary list, brought the issue of mistreatment of education staff to the forefront, and enabled future teachers to meet and coordinate their efforts. Let's hope something of this will be useful for future struggles...
OCL - Strasbourg
Using the "supplementary list" is mandatory when a permanent need is identified. But often, the preference is for contract workers on precarious contracts (10-month fixed-term contracts, 6-week fixed-term contracts renewed after each school holiday, etc.) who hold a degree in some field, but without pedagogical training. For the Ministry of Education, it's a given that the school system operates on two levels.
In Vanessa's case, the refusal to grant tenure to a successful candidate demonstrates a desire to generalize the hiring of contract workers. As usual, the precarious situation of some weakens others and promises widespread adoption. It is the very status of civil servant that is being dismantled in favor of individualized contracts, a kind of "uberization," one might say. Made precarious by their status, with no guarantee of re-employment, and by their lower and sometimes late salaries, contract workers are subject to the arbitrary decisions of regional education authorities. The Ministry thus avoids costs related to career progression (seniority is not taken into account) and saves on pensions, while creating a pool of disposable and exploitable workers. And don't even think about permanent contracts, since the administration "breaks" seniority whenever possible with a four-month interruption. Within institutions, this individualization of status and staff turnover can only lead to the destabilization of teaching teams and ultimately to the precariousness of the entire structure. It also erodes (if any remains) any remaining attempts at collective organization and solidarity. If Vanessa found herself driven to such action, it was also because of her initial isolation.
It was the 2019 Law on the Transformation of the Civil Service that formalized these strategies of "downsizing" and dismantling civil servant status, by expanding the use of contract workers and openly drawing inspiration from private law.
This law was complemented by the "Mutual Termination Agreement" decree (2019), which, in practice, encourages exhausted tenured staff to leave, rather than improving working conditions. And in 2020, another decree announced the creation of a new type of contract, the "project contract." This allows for the recruitment of an agent solely for the duration of a specific assignment. It is clearly stated that this contract "does not lead to a permanent contract or tenure." Yet another way to avoid recruiting civil servants and instead hire disposable contractors with salaries determined by the client (no fixed pay scale).
On the Ministry's website, one can find a "statistical overview of school teaching staff for 2024-2025." The staff is roughly divided into three-quarters teachers (primary and secondary) and one-quarter non-teaching staff. It is observed that the proportion of non-tenured staff relative to tenured staff is increasing. Across all staff, they represented 14.1% in 2015 and 24.4% in 2024. Specifically, non-tenured staff are proportionally more numerous among non-teaching personnel (47.6% in 2015 and 67.6% in 2024) than among teachers, where, over the same period, the proportion of non-tenured staff increased from 6.3% to 9.1%. Nationally, there has been an increase of approximately 25% in the number of contract teachers in primary schools over five years. And in secondary schools, the 10% threshold for contract teachers has been exceeded.
This is consistent with the reports from the Court of Auditors regarding the initially "significant" (in 2018) and then "increasing" (in 2023) use of contract staff in the national education system. And this trend is set to continue, given that the government is planning an even more austerity-driven budget, announcing between 4,000 and 8,000 job cuts for civil servants in the national education system.
Note: This article was originally intended for the January 2026 issue of Courant Alternatif, but space was limited. Therefore, the next issue will be substantial. To make sure you don't miss it, subscribe online or through another method.
https://oclibertaire.lautre.net/spip.php?article4593
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Link: (en) France, OCL: Austerity in Education: A Hunger Strike to Protest Belt Tightening! (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]
Bron: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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