- We are here in the 12th arrondissement in front of DEFI Technology,
a temporary work agency.
- You have been on strike since Monday. Why are you on strike?
We are on strike to demand our rights.
To get legalized like everybody else.
- Don't you have papers?
We have no papers. We work here.
We want our papers.
- How many are involved? We are 33 persons.
- Does the employer want to get you papers? - No.
We asked him three days ago.
Others asked him already months ago to get them papers.
But he refused.
We don't know why he refused.
We are also tired to work with the papers of our brothers.
We want to work with our own papers!
- Why does he refuse?
I don't know. We asked him. He said he does not want it.
Because he wants us to do black work for him.
But we want to work with our own papers, like everyone else.
- So you do black work?
Yes, when we work with the papers of others
that means we do black work!
No, we have no social insurance.
The social insurance goes to those whose papers we use to work.
- How many are on strike? We are 33.
There are more on strike in other places.
We are more than 33.
But the 33 of us work here longest.
- For how long? I have worked here for 3 years.
Some have worked here for 5 or 8 years.
- What kind of work do you do?
We are unskilled workers. Yes, in construction.
Some work in demolition.
Others want to become brick layers.
Some work in demolition even as foremen.
- How did you decide to go on strike?
- We were sick of having to work with other people's papers.
That's why we decided to demand our rights!
People without papers have absolutely no rights.
Sometimes we suffer immensely because we have no papers.
We feel uneasy about working without papers.
We are forced to do it since we cannot simply stay at home
without to work or without doing something.
That's why we have to find a solution.
That's why we use our brothers' papers to work.
But that is not normal!
We are here, we are peaceful, we let them do their work.
They do their work without disruption.
We exercise our right.
You can see, those inside sit there undisturbed.
They do their work.
Every department is collectively organized.
We are also collectively organized.
We set a day on which to go on strike.
We arranged it for Monday last week.
Last Monday, same time.
- How long do you want to be on strike?
We strike indefinitely. It can last one month, or two months.
We are not in a hurry.
Every day, we are here, during the day, in the evening, and at night.
Every day people come along to support us.
Because they see that we demand our rights.
If people know their rights and see how you fight for your rights
then they come along in order to support you.