The trade unionists have the feeling that they are stronger than ever. After the “marche du pain” (bread march) organised last Saturday in Quatre-Bornes, they are now determined to start a general strike if the government does not react to their discontent. The main aim of this protest was to show their extreme dissatisfaction with the measures taken by Rama Sithanen in his budget as well as other increases like gas or petrol. “Ramgoolam was going to change our lives within his first 100 days in power. Just look at the results now; our lives have become harder than ever,” was among the slogans of the protesters. There is no doubt that this protest was much more successful than the previous one on Labour Day. “I believe there must have been about 4,000 people. This makes me think of the unionist movement of the seventies,” claimed Toolsiraj Benydin, the president of the Fédération Syndicale du Service Civile. Boosted by the success of the march , the organisers are now threatening to start a strike. They believe the government should not go on ignoring the people’s dissatisfaction and should take steps to improve the lives of all Mauritians. If they don’t, the sanctions might indeed come from the same people, according to the unionists.