Police wear pyjamas in bed to protest work conditions
Police officers have taken to the streets to protest against their working conditions and lack of a private life - wearing pyjamas, night caps, and lying on a bed.
The police officers gathered outside a Paris police station in the 13th arrondissement, responding to a call from union Unit茅-SGP.
Their protest centred on what they called the poor working conditions of public service policemen.
The trio in the bed - three policemen wearing pyjamas and nightcaps (and brandishing loudhailers), surrounded by their colleagues - wore the outfits to symbolically demonstrate how blurred they feel the lines are between their working life and private life.
Speaking to , a police major explained: 鈥淲e decided to bring the bed, the pillows, the sheets, to show that the police officer is permanently expected to be at work...we brought the bed in the hope that we will be able to get some rest before the next shift.
鈥淏ecause we have a problem in the police, which does not allow us a private life. Sometimes if we finish at 17h, we have no idea what time we might be required back later or the next day.
"And, if we have a rest day planned, we might get a call the night before, saying, 鈥楴o, you鈥檝e got to come in tomorrow鈥�, and we can鈥檛 say no. It must change.鈥�
Rococo Contento, of union Unit茅-SGP, : 鈥淲e are demanding the opening of a major project on the social recognition of the work of Parisian police officers.
鈥淲e are always asked to do more and more, and simply setting up more 鈥榮ecurity staff鈥� is not going to help alleviate the police force鈥檚 discomfort.鈥�
In reference to proposed police reforms by interior minister G茅rard Collomb, Mr Contento added: 鈥淲e are streamlined, we cooperate; we are asked to rationalise our resources and our manpower, but in doing so, we are asked to abandon the human being.鈥�
