“The participation rate is at this time at 95%”, indicated during a press conference Alain Le Meur, spokesman for the Alliance of medical biology, which brings together the four unions and the major groups of private laboratories.
“We are all mobilized because the government refuses to hear us and to dialogue”, he explained, recalling that the sector remains “favorable to an exceptional contribution” of the order of 250 million euros on the only year 2023, in respect of the profits made over the past two years thanks to the Covid tests.
But the government intends instead to impose a drop in prices on them affecting all acts of medical analysis, and which would continue for the following years. “They can make an effort, I will not give up on this subject”, underlined the Minister of Public Accounts, Gabriel Attal, on LCI, pointing to the “high profitability” of the sector, “increased from 18% to 30%” at the favor of the health crisis.
“Cruncinated or even manipulated figures, with the aim of making us look like war profiteers”, retorted Aurélie François, general manager of Eurofins Biologie Médicale, assuring that the minister confused gross margin and net profits, passed them by 12% to 16% of a turnover boosted by a screening policy “with a vengeance, on the express order of the government”.
After weeks of dialogue of the deaf, “we appeal to Emmanuel Macron”, launched Thierry Bouchet, president of the Syndicate of clinical biology laboratories, denouncing an “austerity madness” which would threaten “at least 10% of the sites and the associated jobs “.
Party to last three days, this sling will end Wednesday evening and “all the labs will be open Thursday morning”, he added, but “we will look according to the answer which will be given to us if this strike can be renewed ” afterwards.
