While reactions towards the pension reform in France continues, bakers, who state having a difficult time due to increased electricity and raw material prices, compulsory premiums and taxes, gathered in the Place de la Nation in the capital city Paris and marched to the Ministry of Finance. Carrying baguettes and French flags in their hands, the bakers reacted to the government with coffin and a lifeless mannequin on a gallows.
A baker couple in the protest said, “As baker shopkeepers in Paris, we are here to protest the hikes in electricity prices. We see electricity bills multiplied by 2.5 or even 10. Flour, butter, sugar prices have increased, we have to use them for the products we produce. A 5 to 10 percent drop in bakers’ income is certain. But the prices of our products do not increase as much as the prices of raw materials or energy. If we wanted reflect all these increases, we would have to double the price of our products in stores. This is not possible. If we double the price of the baguette, we’ll sell fewer baguettes. We need fewer employees. But we want to keep all our employees.”