In Martinique, a battle against the high cost of living has been ongoing for a month and a half, with protests and negotiations taking place between elected officials, representatives of the State and the private sector. After seven rounds of discussions, a protocol was signed by thirty public and private partners on October 16, which aims to reduce prices of over 6,000 food products in supermarkets on the island by an average of 20%. This agreement involves commitments from the State, the Martinique Territorial Community, local distribution chains, and key players in the importation of goods to the Antilles, as well as parliamentarians and socio-professional organizations in the island.
The “protocol of objectives and means to fight against the high cost of living” includes twenty-eight commitments made by the parties involved, focusing on three main areas: promises from economic actors, the Martinique Territorial Community, and the State. The document proposes a thirty-six month observation period to evaluate the implementation of these actions. However, a significant player in the protest movement, the Rassemblement pour la protection des peuples et des ressources afro-caribéens (RPPRAC), was not among the signatories. They left negotiations over disagreement on the number of products included in the price reduction, as their initial demand was for all food prices in Martinique to be aligned with those in mainland France.
Despite the protocol being signed and efforts being made to reduce food prices, the RPPRAC expressed disappointment at the outcome, with spokesperson Gwladys Roger stating that the commitment to reduce prices on only 6,000 out of 40,000 food items in supermarkets was unacceptable. The collective’s main goal of aligning prices with those in mainland France across all food products was not achieved, leading to their withdrawal from the negotiations. The high cost of living in Martinique, where food prices are 40% higher than in mainland France, has been a long-standing issue that sparked the recent protests.
The negotiations and agreements made in Martinique are seen as a step towards addressing the high cost of living in the region, but there is lingering disappointment among some groups, including the RPPRAC, regarding the scope of the price reduction measures. The focus now is on monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the protocol over the next three years to assess its effectiveness in reducing food prices. The issue of aligning prices with those in mainland France remains a point of contention for some, highlighting the complex challenges of addressing the high cost of living in Martinique and other overseas territories.
