French scientists plan protest

Days before the French government is due to unveil legislative plans for the biggest shake-up of science in a generation, scientists are preparing to mount another nationwide protest campaign after accusing the government of ignoring their views.Jacques Fossey, the secretary general of the French National Union of Scientific Researchers (SNCS), accused the government of ignoring a program for reforming the research environment that scientists had put forward at a landmark meeting in Grenoble in October.Headed by Etienne-Emile Baulieu, president of the widely respected French Academy of Science, a panel representative of the country's scientific community made 24 concrete proposals for reforming science in France at Grenoble.These proposals were published in a 350-page report—Etats Generaux de la Recherche (Tallandier)—on January 7, a year to the day that 150 scientists founded the movement "Let's Save Research" to fight government science cuts.The proposals included expanding the role of universities in research as well as creating better employment conditions for young scientists by reversing the trend to temporary employment contracts.But now, unions say that the government is pressing ahead with its own program of reform, sidelining the views of the scientists and backtracking on its pledge to use the Grenoble proposals as the basis of major new legislation on the research environment. "We did not expect the government to take on board all of our proposals, but we did it expect it to use the majority as they promised they would," Fossey told The Scientist. "After all, the government asked the scientific community for its views, and the Grenoble proposals are really very carefully thought through and reflect the views of scientists in France."In particular, Fossey criticized the government for planning to introduce 5-year contracts for young researchers, noting that the creation of stable employment conditions for young scientists was a key concern. He said that scientists were ready to demonstrate for the right of young scientists to move into permanent employment within a reasonable time after they finished their PhDs. But the issue of employment contracts for scientists is just part of an ongoing battle of wills between the scientific community and the government. Scientists have also been angered by the way that the government is pushing ahead with its plans to create so-called "poles of competition," or excellence, between companies and research organizations in a bid to create the critical mass it says is needed for world-class research. "We need excellence in science," Fossey said. "But we need to discuss how to organize this excellence in the best way. The government has already made up its mind about what it wants to do, and it is not listening to the scientists in spite of its claims that it would."Fossey said that the scientific community would mount a nationwide campaign of protest in support of the Grenoble proposals unless the government backed down. "The failure of the government to listen to the scientific community is a failure of democracy," he said. "If the government does not show a willingness to listen, then we will start our protests at the end of January."French government spokeswoman Sophie Chevallon told The Scientist that the government was still in the process of formulating the new law on research and that consultations with the scientific community were continuing. "The government is still preparing the law, and, of course, it is ready to listen to the scientists and to incorporate elements of their proposals," Chevallon said. "It is not finished yet, and so we do not want to comment on the criticism of the unions."Chevallon also rejected the accusation that the government was ignoring the views of scientists by pressing ahead with the creation of poles of competitiveness. "The creation of centers of excellence, of science and innovation, that can compete on a global stage is a very important issue for France and concerns not just science but also industry, for example," she said.Last autumn, the French government increased science spending in response to months of protests by scientists following deep cuts in the science budget.

French scientists plan protest

Researchers say the government is disregarding their views in planning a big science shake-up

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