Layoff plan affects steel industry and spas

A proposed plan to lay off 25,000 people is underway, with significant implications for the Lorraine and northern steel industry. The plan also includes reducing support for communes that rely on thermal spas, a move that lacks formal recognition or commemoration and only mentions mutuals in passing.

Quiet forfaiture hides social intentions

The measure is described as a quiet forfaiture, or a discreet withdrawal, wrapped in the appearance of social good intentions. It is said to benefit 500,000 French spa patients who often suffer from chronic diseases and receive treatments that help relieve their ailments, strengthen their health, and reduce the need for other medical procedures and medications.

Critics oppose the decree's impact

The proposed changes have drawn strong opposition, with critics arguing that the decree could undermine the existence of thermal medicine and lead to the disappearance of thermal spas and related areas. The potential economic impact is estimated at 200 million euros, which would affect communes and remote valleys already struggling with the challenges of rural life.

Opponents call the measure misguided

Opponents of the measure denounce it as a result of brutal stupidity and narrow calculation, emphasizing that thermal spas represent only 0.1 percent of the Health Insurance budget for 8.3 million days of care. They argue the cost is negligible compared to the immeasurable benefits the spas provide.

Savings may not offset long-term costs

The expected savings of 200 million euros are considered marginal and could be quickly offset by the costs of medications, hospitalizations, and consultations that would replace the spa treatments. The State would end up with 25,000 people to compensate for in the long term without collecting their contributions or taxes and would lose 4.8 billion euros of annual economic returns.

Spas concentrated in small communes

Nearly 70 percent of the thermal stations are located in communes with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants. Weakening these areas would worsen the medical and economic depopulation of the countryside, further straining already vulnerable communities.

Mayor vows to fight the measure

Marie Costa, Mayor of Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda and President of the Thermal Federation of Occitanie, has vowed to use all legal and democratic means to mobilize elected officials, spa patients, and affected populations. She describes the measure as inept and criminal and aims to ensure its abandonment.