Le Monde article on 22 May Transport Strike
The following is translated from the Le Monde newspaper's website. Following a long period of anger over pensions and the rising cost of living, in the wake of an inconclusive battle over the special regime pension reform in the Autumn, it looks like the French unions are gearing up for another battle. Whether the militancy and self-organisation of their members gives them a fright, and obliges them to sink back into their usual containment strategy of negotiations with one demo every two months, remains to be seen..
The eight unions that organise the SNCF (state rail network) and the three unions organising the RATP (Paris public transport) launched a call on the 15th of May for a strike on Thursday the 22nd of May, the date of a joint mobilisation between union confederations on the question of pensions. In air transport, the CGT, CFDT, FO and CFTC unions which organise Air France had already made a call for a strike on the 22nd of May.
At the SNCF, the joint declaration from CGT, CFDT, FO, CFTC, SUD-Rail, UNSA, CFE and CGC will run from 8PM Wednesday 21st of May until 8AM on Friday the 23rd of May and “will allow rail workers to participate in joint inter-industry initiatives decided upon for Thursday the 22nd of May. The seven unions “demand the withdrawal of the lengthened pension contribution period, for a full and sufficient retirement pension” but also “the re-opening of salary negotiations”.
They are also demanding “negotiations on the question of the special regime”, the special retirement package for rail workers, which was reformed during the Autumn. Their pension contribution period will pass gradually to 40 years by 2012, from today’s figure of 37.5 years. The government foresees lengthening this period to 41 years by 2016, as this period of pension contributions will be generalised throughout the public sector by 2012. An eighth rail union, the FGAAC (train drivers), has announced a separate strike of their own from Wednesday.
In Parisian public transport, the majority union on the RATP, the CGT, along with FO and CFDT, are also calling workers out on strike on the 22nd of May. UNSA-RATP, the network’s secondary union, and the CFTC, have not yet taken a position.
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What's happening on 22 may in France ?
Edward a eu tort de reproduire comme tel cet article du Monde car il ne rend pas bien compte de ce qui va se passer demain, le jeudi 22 en France. Ce ne sera pas qu'une affaire du secteur des transports publics.
Le 22 mai, 5 confédérations (CGT, CFDT, FO, CFTC, CGC) appellent ensemble, à la fois dans le privé et dans le public, à l'action sur la question des retraites car le gouvernement veut passer de 40 annuités de cotisations à 41 annuités. La FSU, l'UNSA, Solidaires (la Fédération des syndicats SUD) appellent aussi. Donc, tous les syndicats appellent ...tout en ayant aucunement l'intention de réaliser une grève générale !
Pour les bureaucrates, il s'agit principalement d'appeler et de réussir des manifestations, et selon les secteurs et selon les organisations locales, il y aura des appels à la grève.
Mais comme il y a des appels à l'action partout et en plus,comme tout le monde appelle d'une façon ou d'une autre, cette journée pourrait être saisie par les secteurs combattifs pour réaliser un tour de chauffe, prélude à d'autres choses.
Les directions CGT et CFDT, avec la signature d'un accord avec le MEDEF, le 9 avril ont franchi un pas criminel dans la remise en cause des droits des salariés en mettant le doigt dans la remise en cause du "principe de faveur", c'est à dire la primauté de la loi et des accords collectifs de branche sur le contrat individuel. Et tout cela, pour quoi ? Pour pouvoir bénéficier des subsides d'une future "Fondation Pour le Dialogue Social" qui leur permettront de vivre sans trop de soucier des cotisations d'une base récalcitrante qui n'aurait pu envie de payer pour des dirigeants incapables d'organiser la défense immédiate des conditions des travailleurs.
Pour donner une idée des choses qui peuvent éventuellement survenir demain, je vais raconter ce qui s'est passé sur la semaine écoulée dans mon entreprise.
Jeudi 15 mai, il y a eu un appel dans la Fonction publique mais qui n'a pas beaucoup marché bien que les manifestations aient été réussies. Ainsi, l'Assemblée Générale(AG) appelée par la CGT dans mon lieu de travail (1000 salariés) n'a réuni que 15 personnes et 3 seulement sont allés à la manifestation parisienne.
Lundi à 14H, lors d'une réunion intersyndicale convoquée par la CGT, les représentants de la CFDT et de la CFTC déclarent qu'il ne savent pas trop ce qu'ils ont envie de faire mais en tout cas, ils ne veulent pas d'appel à la grève.
Ce matin à 11H, lors de l'AG convoquée par les 3 syndicats, on compte une bonne centaine de participants. La CFDT commence tout de suite en déclarant que leur bureau a voté à l'unanimité l'appel à la grève, un des militants de base affirmant "on a bien voulu faire des concessions sur les 40 annuités. Mais maintenant, çà suffit, pas d'accord pour aller à 41 annuités ! Y'en a marre de se faire avoir !" (en fait, ce gars a utilisé une expression plus crue ). Puis les représentants de la CFTC déclarent à leur tour qu'ils appellent à la grève ! Chose qu'ils ne font quasiment jamais.
Et donc, pour la première depuis ...1995 (lors de la grève du 10 octobre mais pas en novembre et décembre 1995), il y aura un appel commun de tous les syndicats de mon entreprise à la grève. Ce n'est pas courant ...
Voila, cet exemple donne une indication sur les potentialités de la situation. De plus, les secteurs pressés de l'UMP peuvent contribuer à mettre le feu en exigeant, comme le fait Devedjan, l'abrogation immédiate des 35 H, demande qui provoque des polémiques publiques entre une partie des parlementaires UMP et le Premier Ministre Fillon qui dit qu'il ne faut pas aller si vite.
Jeunes scolarisés, agents de la Fonction publique dont en premier lieu les enseignants, agents des secteurs du transport mais aussi tous les autres secteurs industriels peuvent se retrouver dans la rue et éprouver leur force d'une façon qui n'est absolument pas dans les intentions de Thibault, Chérèque, Mailly et compagnie...
Translation
Thanks for that, Oliver. It was lax of me to just reproduce a chunk of bourgeois reporting like that. This is a translation of Oliver's report. I'll write something proper soon.
Edward was wrong to reproduce the Le Monde article like that because it does not properly inform the reader of what will happen on Thursday 22nd in France. That won't be just a question for the public transport sector.
On the 22nd of May, 5 Confederations (CGT, CFDT, FO, CFTC, CGC) are calling together, at once in the private and public sectors, for action on the question of pensions because the government wants to move from 40 years of payments into a scheme to 41 years. FSU, UNSA, Solidaires (the federation of SUD unions) are also calling. So, all the unions are calling... without the intention of creating a general strike!
For the bureaucrats, it is a matter of calling for successful demonstrations, and depending on local organisation and on the sector, there will be strike calls.
But as there are calls for action everywhere and what's more, as everyone is calling in one way or another, this day could be seized upon by the combative sectors to heat things up, as a prelude to other things.
The leaderships of the CGT and the CFDT, with the signing of an agreement with MEDEF [bosses' union] on the 9th of April, have taken a criminal step by throwing workers' rights into question by opening the door to attacks on the "principle of favour", that is the primacy of laws and collective agreements at the branch level over individual contracts. And all that, for what? To benefit from subsidies for a future "Foundation for Social Dialogue", which will permit thm to live without worrying overmuch about pension payments from a recalcitrant grassroots which couldn't have much wanted to pay for union bosses who are incapable of organising the immediate defence of workers'
conditions.
To give an idea of the things which could possibly take place tomorrow, I will recount what happened in the past week in my workplace.
Thursday 15th may, there was a strike call in the public service but that didn't work too well even though the demonstrations were successes. Thus, the workplace general assembly (AG) called by the CGT in my workplace (of 1000 workers) only assembled 15 people and only 3 of them went to the Paris demo.
Monday at 2pm, at an inter-union meeting called by the CGT, representatives of CFDT and CFTC declared that they didn't know too well what they wanted to do, but in any case, they didn't want to call a strike.
This morning at 11am, in an AG called by 3 unions, we saw a good 100 participants. The CFDT started straight away by declaring that their office had voted unanimously for a strike, one of their grassroots activists affirmed "we had wanted to make concessions on the 40 years. But now, enough is enough, no way are we going to 41 years! We've had enough of being had!" (in fact, the bloke used a cruder expression). Then the CFTC reps declared that they too would call a strike! That never happens.
And so, for the first time since 1995 (around the 10 October strike but not in November or December 95), there will be a common call from all the unions for a strike in my workplace. That's not normal...
See now, this example gives an indication of the potentialities of the situation. What's more, the advanced sections of the UMP party could help fan the flames by demanding, like Devedja, the immediate abolition of the 35 hour week, a demand which is provoking fights between some of the parliamentary UMP party and Prime Minister Fillon who says that they shouldn't be going so fast.
Students, public servants with teachers and transport workers at the fore, and also all other industrial sectors could find themselves in the street and engage in a trial of strength which is absolutely not what Thibault, Chéreque, Mailly and company are after...